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BV    3525    .T7    H67    1875 
Smith,    Thornley,    1813-1891. 
Memoir  of   the  Rev.    Thomas 
Laidman  Hodgson 


■  v  w  )  Maeo 


/^  ^mJI^ 


MEMOIR 

OF  THE 

REY.  THOMAS  LAIDMAN  HODGSON, 

WESLEYAN  MISSIONARY 

IN  SOUTH  AFEICA. 
WITH  COPIOUS  EXTRACTS  FROM  HIS  JOURNALS. 


BY  THE 

REY.  THORNLEY"  SMITH, 

Mljnr  nf  ''Innlli  ifrixa  iflinratcii." 


LONDON: 

PUBLISHED  BY  J.  MASON,  14,  fc IXTrROAP ;  1    --'-i^ 

SOLD  AT  66,  PATERNOSTER-iOW. 


1854. 


'Tis  ours  to  sow  the  precious  grain, 

Though  falling  where  the  pari-hed  soil 
May  seem  to  mark  our  labour  vain, 

Long  ere  with  fruit  it  bless  the  toil. 
'Tis  Heaven's  to  send  the  sovereign  devr, 

To  haste  the  gladsome  harvest-time, 
When  earth  shall  all  be  crown'd  anew, 

Crown'd  as  in  Eden's  vernal  prime." 


Anon. 


H.  T.  &'  J.  ROCHF,  PRINTERS,  25,   HOXTON-SQUARE,  tONDOK, 


TO 

THE   WIDOW  AND   DAUGHTER 

OF  THE  DECEASED, 

Cjirs  3ilmiiir, 

PllEPARED   AT  THEIR   REQUEST, 
IS 

AFPECTIONATELY   INSCRIBED, 

BY 

THEIR  SINCERE  FRIEND, 

THE  AUTHOR, 


A    2 


ADVERTISEMENT. 


A  FEW  months  ago,  a  brief  Memoir  of 
Mr.  Hodgson  appeared  in  the  pages  of  the 
*' Wesleyan-Methodist  Magazine."  But  it  was 
deemed  desirable  that  a  more  extended  account 
of  his  labours  should  be  written ;  and  I  have 
attempted,  therefore,  to  prepare  a  Memoir  a 
little  more  worthy  of  his  name  and  memory. 
To  the  Greneral  Secretaries  of  the  "Wesleyan 
Missionary  Society  my  thanks  are  due,  for  the 
loan  of  all  Mr.  Hodgson's  letters  to  the  Com- 
mittee from  the  commencement  to  the  close  of 
his  Missionary  career ;  and  I  have  been  greatly 
indebted  also  to  the  Eev.  S.  Broadbent,  for 
the  use  of  his  Journals  kept  during  the  time 
that  he  was  Mr.  Hodgson's  fellow-labourer. 
The  Journals  of  Mr.  Hodgson  himself  were 
fiu-nished  to  me  by  Mrs.  and  Miss  Hodgson; 


b  ADVERTISEMENT. 

the  latter  of  whom,  ■s\'ith  true  filial  affection, 
took  great  pains  to  copy  some  portions  that 
were  scarcely  legible,  as  well  as  several  letters, 
&c.,  &c.,  relating  to  circumstances  in  her 
father's  history.  And  now  this  volume  is  com- 
mitted to  the  press,  with  the  earnest  hope 
that  it  may  be  rendered  useful  to  the  chui'ch 
of  Christ,  especially  in  awakening  sympathy 
for  Africa,  and  in  exciting  to  liberality  for  its 
more  rapid  evangelization. 

T.  S. 

Plymouth,  Decemher,  1853. 


CONTENTH. 


Page. 
CHAPTER  I. 

EARLY   LIFE 9 


CHAPTER  II. 

ENTRANCE  ON   THE  MINISTRY  ....  22 

CHAPTER  III. 

FAR   HENCE   AMONG  THE   CiENTILES  ...  35 

CHAPTER  IV. 

PERILS   IN   THE   AVILDERNESS  ....  52 

CHAPTER  V. 

TOILS   AND  SUCCESSES 68 

CHAPTER  YI. 

BOOTCHAP 88 

CHAPTER  VII. 

ENOLAND   AND   THE   CAPE        ......         106 


8  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTEK  VIII. 

VISIT  TO  NAMACQUALAND 126 

CHAPTER  IX. 

NAMACQUALAND   AND  CAPE-TOWN  .  .  .         144 

CHAPTER  X. 

ILLNESS  AND   DEATH 161 


MEMOIR 


OF  THE 


REY.  THOMAS  L  HODGSON. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Mis  dJarlq  f  ifp. 

The  biography  of  Christian  Missionaries  is 
generally  replete  with  interest  and  instruction. 
It  furnishes  instances  of  genuine  heroism ;  it 
illustrates  the  influence  of  the  Gospel  in  awaken- 
ing in  the  himian  mind  the  deepest  practical 
sympathy  for  the  outcasts  of  the  human  family; 
and  it  proves  that  patient  toil  in  the  work  of 
the  world's  evangelization  v,ill  ever  meet  with 
its  reward. 

Our  literature  is  rich  in  records  of  this  kind. 
The  lives  of  Eliot  and  of  Brainerd,  of  Schwartz 
and  of  Buchanan,  of  Coke  and  of  Martyn,  to- 
gether with  those  of  many  female  Missionaries, 
of  whom  we  may  mention  Mrs.  Judson  and 
Mrs.  Cryer,  are  standard  works,  which  will 
probably  be  read  by  future  generations  with 
as  great,  or  with  even  greater  interest,  than 
they  are  at  present.  For  labourers  of  such 
zeal,  disinterestedness,  and  courage,  the  church 
is  greatly  indebted  to  the  providence  of  Grod, 


10  MEMOIR    OF    THE 

and  earnestly  should  she  pray  for  a  succession 
of  such  evangelists.  It  is  her  province  to  send 
into  the  field  the  agents  placed  at  her  disposal ; 
but  they  can  be  raised  up  and  qualified  for  theii' 
important  work  only  by  the  Lord  Himself. 

Wesleyan  Methodism  has  sqldom  wanted 
candidates  for  this  department  of  its  work. 
Essentially  Missionary  in  its  spirit,  it  has,  from 
the  first,  been  favom-ed  with  men  who,  animated 
with  the  love  of  Christ,  have  "not  counted 
their  lives  dear  unto  themselves,"  but  have 
been  willing  to  go  into  any  part  of  the  world, 
for  the  pui'pose  of  proclaiming  the  tidings  of 
the  Cross.  How  numerous,  already,  are  the 
records  of  the  toils,  the  trials,  and  the  successes 
of  this  section  of  the  Christian  church  in  the 
Mission-field !  Xor  does  a  year  pass  away  with- 
out witnessing  the  fall  of  one  or  more  of  its 
evangelists ;  some  in  youth,  some  in  the  vigour 
of  their  days,  and  some — ^but  they  are  few,  for 
few  survive  so  long — in  age.  Do  we  regret 
this  ?  We  regret  the  loss  of  valuable  agents  in 
this  holy  enterprise  ;  and  the  early  removal  of 
some,  especially,  is  most  mysterious  to  us,  and 
most  painful.  But  we  bow  to  the  dispensations 
of  an  all- wise  Providence,  rejoicing  that  while 
some  are  gathered  to  their  fathers,  others  are 
raised  up  to  occupy  their  posts.  The  labourers 
die,  but  the  work  lives ;  and  there  are  many  at 
this  moment,  panting  to  go  forth  and  to  attack 
the  strongholds  of  the  enemy  in  Africa,  in  the 
East,  or  in  the  islands  of  the  Southern  Seas. 

But  the  memory  of  the  depai'ted  should  be 


HEV.    T.    L.    HODGSON.  11 

dear  to  us,  and  vre  should  study  tlieir  examples 
with  peculiar  care.  From  the  life  of  a  devoted 
Missionary,  every  Minister,  whether  labouring 
at  home  or  in  a  distant  land,  every  office-bearer 
in  the  chiu'ch,  and  every  private  member,  may 
derive  considerable  good;  whilst  to  young 
men,  especially,  on  whose  breasts  the  fire  of 
Missionary  zeal  has  been  enldndled,  and  who 
contemplate  offering  themselves  to  the  church 
as  ambassadors  to  the  Heathen,  the  records  of 
the  toils  and  of  the  triumphs  of  others  cannot 
but  be  fraught  with  special  interest  and  value. 
It  is,  then,  ^\dth  a  view  to  the  benefit  of  the 
living,  and  not  of  pronouncing  an  eulogy  on 
the  dead,  that  the  following  Memoir  is  sub- 
mitted to  the  attention  of  the  reader.  To  many 
who  will  peruse  these  pages,  Mr.  Hodgson  was 
intimately  known,  but  to  others  only  by  the 
accounts  they  have  seen  of  his  indefatigable 
labours  in  a  distant  land.  Who,  however,  that 
has  formed  even  a  partial  acquaintance  with 
him,  vrill  not  feel  a  desire,  now  that  he  has 
gone,  to  know  something  of  his  history,  his 
character,  and  his  work  ?  That  such  a  desire 
may  be  gratified,  the  story  of  his  life  is  briefly 
sketched. 

Tho:!j:as  Laidman  Hodgsox  was  born  in 
Darlington,  in  the  county  of  Durham,  on  the 
12th  of  June,  1787.  His  parents  were  highly 
respectable  persons;  and  his  maternal  grand- 
father, Dr.  Laidman,  was  well  known  and  much 
esteemed  in  Darlington,  where,  for  some  time, 
B  2 


12  MEMOIK    OF    THE 

lie  practised  as  a  physician.  At  the  age  of  ten 
years,  Thomas  was  deprived  of  his  father  by 
death,  and,  two  years  later,  of  his  beloved 
mother.  Thus  early  was  he  left  an  orphan; 
but  a  gracious  Pro\ddence  took  care  of  him, 
and  dii'ected  all  his  steps.  Together  with  two 
sisters  and  two  brothers,  he  was  committed  to 
the  charge  of  a  distant  female  relative,  with 
whom  he  continued  to  reside,  in  the  dwelling 
which  had  been  occupied  by  his  parents. 

He  received  his  education,  fii'st,  in  the  Gram- 
niar-School  of  Darlington,  and  subsequently  in 
a  private  academy.  Of  his  boyhood  little  is 
known;  but  it  is  said  that,  finding  himself 
free  from  any  strong  resti'aints  of  government, 
he  was  for  some  years  led  away  by  the  vanities 
and  amusements  of  the  world.  Even  then, 
however,  he  was  under  the  influence  of  the 
restraining  grace  of  God,  and  never  gave  him- 
self up  to  the  follies  in  which  youths  thus 
circumstanced  too  often  indulge.  In  a  brief 
record  of  his  earlj'  days,  found  among  his 
papers,  he  says :  ''I  was  often  taken  to  the 
AVesleyan  chapel,  where  I  was  brought  to  view 
sin  in  its  proper  light,  and  to  admire  the 
beauty  of  religion.  Hence  I  grew  up  with  a 
respect  for  pious  persons,  and  a  love  for  Gospel 
truth."  His  grandfather,  Dr.  Laidman,  wished 
that  he  should  be  trained  to  the  profession  of 
medicine  ;  but,  at  a  suitable  age,  he  was  placed 
in  the  bank  of  his  native  town,  where,  by  his 
abilities  and  upright  conduct,  he  so  won  the 
esteem  and  confidence  of  the  Directors,  that  he 


REV.  T.  L.   HODGSON.  13 

afterwards  became  its  chief  manager,  in  A\iiicli 
situation  he  continued  until  his  entrance  into 
the  Christian  ministry. 

One  who  became  acquainted  with  him  when 
he  was  nineteen  years  of  age  observes,  that  he 
was  a  youth  of  very  pleasing  manners,  and 
that  his  conduct  was  wholly  unblemished. 
When,  therefore,  he  began  to  turn  his  atten- 
tion to  religion,  and  to  think  very  seriously  of 
becoming  a  member  of  the  Wesleyan  Society, 
it  was  asked,  by  some  of  his  friends,  what  he 
had  done  to  render  this  necessary.  Like  many 
other  persons,  they  considered  morality  all  that 
was -essential  to  the  favour  of  God;  and  ima- 
gined that,  because  the  character  of  Thomas 
was  so  amiable,  there  was  no  need  for  him  to 
trouble  himself  on  the  subject  of  religion.  But, 
happily,  he  himself  had  been  made  to  feel 
that,  to  secure  the  salvation  of  his  soul,  he 
must  be  born  again.  During  an  extensive 
revival  of  religion  that  took  place  in  Darling- 
ton, impressions  never  to  be  erased  were  made 
upon  his  mind ;  and  no  sooner  was  he  con- 
vinced that  it  was  his  duty  to  unite  himself  to 
the  church,  than,  notwithstanding  the  persecu- 
tions to  which  he  became  exposed,  he  took  the 
step,  and  oi^enly  declared  himself  a  disciple  of 
the  Lord  Jesus.  This  decision  was  formed 
when  he  was  twenty  years  of  age,  and  was 
doubtless  the  means  of  preserving  him  from 
many  temptations  by  which  he  might  have 
been  led  astray.  For,  as  he  observes,  in  the 
record  abeady  mentioned,  he  was  exposed,  at 
B  3 


14  MEilOIll    or    THE 

this  time,  to  very  great  daug-er.  He  had  no 
one  of  sufficient  authority  to  control  him ;  and 
having  always  a  little  cash  at  command,  the 
temptation  often  suggested  itself  that  he  should 
cast  off  the  fear  of  (Jod,  and  laiuich  out  a  little 
into  the  pleasures.,  of  the  world.  But  for  his 
imion  with  the  Wcsleyan  Society  he  would 
probably  have  done  this ;  and  who  can  tell 
where  he  would  have  stopped  ? 

It  was  not  until  after  he  had  joined  the 
church  that  he  felt  the  burden  of  his  sins 
intolerable.  Tor  awhile  he  was  dra^^ii  as  by 
the  cords  of  love.  Subsequent!}',  however,  he 
became  greatly  troubled  under  a  sense  of  his 
obligations  to  God's  mercy,  and  of  his  *^base 
ingratitude  "  in  not  discharging  them.  Some- 
times he  doubted  whether  his  repentance  was 
sincere  ;  and,  on  one  occasion,  he  was  led  to 
ask  his  brother  what  degree  of  contrition  he 
conceived  it  necessary  for  a  penitent  to  feel. 
But,  soon  after,  he  was  taught,  as  he  himself 
expressed  it,  ''that  the  degree  of  repentance 
necessarj'  is  that  which  brings  us  to  Christ, 
and  to  Him  only,  for  salvation."  One  evening, 
on  retui^ning  home  from  his  class,  in  deep  dis- 
tress of  mind,  he  retired  to  his  chamber,  and 
there  wrestled  with  God  in  prayer  during  the 
greater  part  of  the  night.  Nor  did  he  plead 
in  vain.  His  cry  was  heard.  He  was  enabled 
to  cast  himself  on  the  atonement  of  the  Cross, 
and  God  revealed  His  Son  in  his  heart,  so  that 
he  could  rejoice  in  a  sense  of  the  pardon  of  his 
sins.      The  biu^den  of  his  guilt  T\as  at  once 


iu;v.  T.  L.  noDGsox.  15 

removed,  and  he  became  a  new  creature  in 
Christ  Jesus  the  Lord.  This  ''happy  change," 
to  use  his  own  expression,  took  place  in  the 
year  1809  ;  and,  in  a  letter  to  his  sister-in-law, 
dated  June  1 7th  of  that  year,  he  thus  writes : 
''I  may  safely  say,  that  since  I  saw  you  last, 
I  have  been  enabled  to  make  much  progress  in 
the  Di^'ine  life,  and  to  overcome  spiritual 
temptation  closely  urged  upon  me.  I  now 
feel  that  peace  which  the  world  can  neither 
give  nor  take  away.  I  anticipate  that  you  will 
say,  surely  my  doubts  respecting  justification 
are  now  removed.  I  am  happy  to  say  that 
they  are;  for  I  feel  the  love  of  God  shed 
abroad  in  my  heart,  and  have  no  doubt  that 
He  is  now  reconciled  unto  me  through  the 
death  of  His  Son." 

In  expressing  himself  thus,  was  Mr.  Hodgson 
a  fanatic  ?  or  are  the  views  of  Christian  doc- 
trine which  these  sentiments  embody  contraiy 
to  the  word  oi  God  ?  So,  doubtless,  will  the 
advocate  of  baptismal  regeneration,  and  of  the 
efficacy  of  the  sacraments,  affiirm.  But  this 
experience — and  it  is  the  experience,  sub- 
stantially, of  thousands  in  the  Wesleyan  and 
in  many  other  churches — is  strictly  in  accord- 
ance with  the  views  entertained  of  spiritual 
religion  by  the  most  eminent  Divines  of  the 
Church  of  England,  by  the  Protestant  Eeform- 
ers,  and  by  the  early  Fathers  of  the  Chiu'ch. 
Justification  by  faith,  the  witness  of  the  Spirit, 
and  the  regeneration  of  the  heart  by  the  power 
of  the  Holv  Ghost,  are  doctrines  v>^hich  may  be 


16  MEMOIR    OF    THE 

traced  in  the  writings  of  the  best  Church 
teachers,  up  to  the  age  of  the  Apostles  ;  whilst 
in  the  pages  of  the  New  Testament  itself  they 
shine  so  clearly,  that  it  is  almost  unaccountable 
how  any  one  can  fail  to  see  them.  Let  Chris- 
tian churches  who  have  received  these  doc- 
trines, take  heed  that  they  hold  fast  the  treasui'e. 
They  are  the  basis  of  experimental  and  of 
practical  religion.  No  superstructiu^e  of  good 
works,  however  attractive  to  the  eye  of  man, 
can  stand,  that  is  not  reared  on  this  foundation. 
The  piety  that  has  not  its  origin  here  is  but 
formalism,  or  mysticism,  which  may,  indeed, 
pass  current  with  the  world,  but  is  defective 
in  what  constitutes  the  very  essence  of  Chris- 
tianity. 

The  piety  of  Mr.  Hodgson,  thus  originated, 
became  deep,  vigorous,  and  most  decided.  He 
was  no  waverer.  Having  made  choice  of  the 
paths  of  wisdom,  he  never  felt  disposed  to 
leave  them;  for  he  found  them  to  be  paths  of 
pleasantness  and  peace.  But  he  suffered  greatly 
from  severe  temptation.  It  was  once  suggested 
to  his  mind,  that  he  should  renounce  his  religion 
by  a  desperate  act  of  swearing  to  God  that  he 
would  never  offer  to  Him  another  prayer ;  and, 
when  attempting  to  worshij)  Him  as  usual,  he 
felt,  in  two  or  three  instances,  mysteriously 
restrained  from  uttering  his  petitions,  and  spent 
the  wonted  time  upon  his  knees  in  silence. 
How  often  are  those  whom  Providence  designs 
for  special  spheres  of  usefulness  subject,  in  the 
early  part  of  their  religious  historj",  to  extra- 


REV.  T.  L.  IIOLXJSOX.  17 

ordinary  mental  suffering  !  In  this  respect,  as 
in  many  others,  the  Christian  is  made  like 
unto  his  Lord,  who,  prior  to  His  entering  on 
His  public  ministry,  "  was  led  up  of  the  Spirit 
into  the  wilderness  to  be  tempted  of  the  devil." 
Is  the  reader  a  young  man,  just  entering  on 
the  Christian  life  ?  and  is  he  sorely  harassed 
by  the  powers  of  darkness  ?  Let  him  know 
that  such  has  been  the  painful  discipline  to 
^^'hich  some  of  the  most  eminent  of  God's 
servants  have  been  subject;  and  let  him  be 
assured  that  the  adversary  is  thus  permitted  to 
assail  him,  for  some  wise  pui-pose,  to  be  here- 
after understood.  Those  only  who  have  had 
experience  of  Satan's  devices  are  prepared  to 
warn  others  of  their  danger.  Luther's  mental 
exercises  were  doubtless  one  of  the  principal 
means  by  which  he  was  prepared  to  enter  on 
his  bright  career. 

Genuine  religion  excites  to  activity.  "No 
man  who  is  animated  with  the  love  of  Christ 
can  look  upon  a  world  lying  in  the  wicked 
one,  and  be  content  to  be  idle.  He  must  do 
something  to  effect  its  rescue.  He  may  be 
deeply  and  j)ainfiilly  conscious  of  his  feeble- 
ness; but  feeble  as  he  feels  himself  to  be,  he 
cannot  rest  while  souls  are  perishing  whom 
Christ  died  to  save.  Mr.  Hodgson  could  not. 
He  felt  it  his  duty  to  employ  the  talent  com- 
mitted to  his  trust  for  the  benefit  of  his  fellow 
men ;  and,  accordingly,  soon  after  his  conver- 
sion, he  began  to  labour  in  the  Sunday-school, 
to  take  part  in  meetings  for  prayer  and  inter- 


18  MEMOIR    OF    THE 

cession,  and  to  visit  the  beds  of  the  sick  and 
dying.  Many  a  Sabbath  did  he  spend  in  the 
important  task  of  giving-  religious  instruction 
to  the  young ;  and  many  an  hoiu'  did  he  devote 
to  the  still  more  solemn  one  of  reading  to,  and 
of  praying  with,  those  who  were  on  the  con- 
fines of  the  eternal  world.  These  imobtmsive 
labours  would  attract  but  little  attention  from 
men;  but  they  were  doubtless  registered  in  the 
book  of  God,  and,  in  His  estimation,  were  of 
far  more  value  than  many  deeds  that  are  em- 
blazoned on  the  page  of  history. 

About  the  year  1811,  considerable  efforts 
were  made  to  extend  the  operations  of  Method- 
ism in  the  villages  around  Darlington.  To 
carry  the  Gospel  into  the  smallest  hamlets  of 
our  country  has  been  one  part  of  the  mission 
of  the  Wesley  an  church ;  and  the  fact  that 
there  are  very  few  villages  of  any  importance 
through  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land 
that  have  not  their  Methodist  chapel,  or,  at 
least,  a  room  or  a  cottage  where  the  Methodists 
worship,  is  proof  sufficient  that  it  has  not  been 
faithless  to  its  trust.  The  project  met  with 
the  approval  of  many  of  the  inhabitants  of 
those  villages,  and  several  additional  places 
were  opened  for  the  ministry  of  the  word  of 
God.  Additional  labourers  were,  consequently, 
required ;  and  Mr.  Hodgson  was  urged,  by  both 
Ministers  and  people,  to  enter  upon  a  more 
public  sphere  of  usefulness.  He  could  not 
refuse ;  for  he  heard  also  an  inward  voice,  the 
voice  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  calling  him  to  the 


REV.  T.  L.  HODGSON.  19 

work,  and  he  began,  therefore,  to  preach  and 
to  point  sinners  to  the  Cross.  His  preaching 
was  both  acceptable  and  useful :  it  was  cha- 
racterized by  considerable  energy  and  zeal, 
whilst  at  the  same  time  it  was  clear,  scrip- 
tiu'al,  and  forcible.  He  had  not  neglected  the 
improvement  of  his  mind  or  the  careful  read- 
ing of  the  holy  Scriptures ;  whilst,  as  is  often 
the  case,  his  labours  in  the  Sabbath- school  had 
also  tended  to  prepare  him  for  the  work  he  now 
commenced.  He  entered  on  it,  however,  with 
much  fear  and  trembling,  but  in  humble  de- 
pendence on  the  help  promised  from  on  high. 

About  this  time,  also,  a  new  chapel  was 
erected  in  the  Cu'cuit-town  (Darlington),  in 
reference  to  which  Mr.  Hodgson  took  a  deep 
and  lively  interest.  The  projDosal  had  been 
entertained  for  a  considerable  length  of  time ; 
but  the  difficulties  which  presented  themselves 
were,  for  awhile,  insurmountable.  By  patient 
perseverance,  however,  they  were  ultimately 
removed;  Mr.  Hodgson,  together  with  other 
young  men,  several  of  whom  had  but  recently 
been  added  to  the  church,  rendering  essential 
service  to  the  cause.  In  the  year  1813,  the 
chapel,  being  finished,  was  set  apart  for  the 
worship  of  God  by  the  Eev.  Samuel  Bardsley 
and  the  Eev.  Jabez  Bunting. 

Methodism  in  Darlington  has  ever  since  this 
period  occupied  a  very  respectable  position. 
It  has  been  subject,  as  in  many  other  places, 
to  trials  and  vicissitudes ;  but  it  has  vigor- 
ously held  on  its  way,  and  been  to  many  the 


20  MEMOIR   OF   THE 

instrument  of  incalculable  good.  That  it 
niu'tured  in  its  bosom  Thomas  Laidman  Hodg- 
son, is  not  one  of  its  least  honours ;  for  the 
church  that  gives  a  Missionary  to  the  world, 
and  especially  such  a  Missionary  as  he  became, 
renders  to  it  a  service,  the  full  value  of  which 
can  never  be  estimated  until  time  shall  pass 
away. 

In  this,  the  first  chapter  of  Mr.  Hodgson's 
life,  we  find  the  secret  of  his  future  useful- 
ness. He  gave  his  heart  to  God  in  youth,  and 
by  this  one  act  was  the  whole  of  his  career 
determined.  ^\Tiat  a  contrast  do  his  early 
days  present,  to  those  of  many  youths,  who, 
though  possessed  of  greater  talent,  and  moving, 
perhaps,  in  far  more  influential  spheres,  enjoy 
no  real  happiness,  and  do  no  real  good  !  One 
of  England's  poets,  when  in  the  very  bloom  of 
life,  thus  wrote ; — 

"  My  days  are  in  the  yellow  leaf, 

The  flowers,  the  fruit  of  love,  are  gone  ; 
The  worm,  the  canker,  and  the  grief 
Are  mine  alone. 

"  The  fire  that  on  my  bosom  preys 
Is  lone  as  some  volcanic  isle  ; 
No  torch  is  lighted  at  its  blaze, 
A  funeral  pile !" 

How  sad!  how  affecting!  Could  he  have  written 
thus  had  he  been  in  possession  of  the  consolations 
of  the  Gospel  ?  A  young  man  may  have  fortime, 
rank,  genius;  everything,  in  short,  of  which  the 
world  can  boast ;  but  if  he  has  not  the  fear  and 


REV.    T.    L.    HODGSON.  21 

loTc  of  God,  lie  is  a  stranger  to  all  true  enjoy- 
ment, and  will  be  of  little  service  to  mankind. 
Are  these  sentiments  trite  and  common-place  ? 
I  am  ready  to  admit  it ;  but  they  are  not  the 
less  important,  nor  the  less  necessary  to  be 
impressed  upon  the  youthful  mind.  They 
were  recognised  by  Mr.  Hodgson;  and  he  acted 
on  them,  and  chose  for  his  portion  the  **  one 
thing  needful." 


22  mi;moir  of  the 


CHAPTER  11. 

lis  (ButrawB  m  Ijjr  Blinislni. 

The  sovereignty  of  God  is  seldom  more  con- 
spicuous than  in  the  selection  from  among  men 
of  the  instruments  of  His  will.  He  chose 
Samuel,  a  mere  child,  to  rebuke  the  folly  of 
the  High-Priest  Eli ;  Da^-id,  a  shepherd,  to  be 
ruler  of  His  people ;  and  Saul  of  Tarsus,  a  fiery 
persecutor,  to  be  the  Apostle  of  the  Gentiles. 
In  later  times,  also,  have  persons  whom  the 
world,  and  even  the  church,  would  not  have 
thought  of,  been  made  choice  of  for  the  accom- 
plishment of  the  most  important  purposes. 
^\^ho  would  have  supposed  that  a  tinker's  son 
of  Elstow,  by  name  John  Bunyan,  would  have 
been  chosen  to  write  the  ''  Pilgrim's  Progress?" 
or  who  would  have  imagined  that  Carey,  a 
shoemaker,  would  have  become  the  founder  of 
the  Baptist  Missions  in  India  ?  Truly  may  it 
be  said  that  God's  '*  ways  are  not  as  our  ways, 
nor  His  thoughts  as  our  thoughts."  He  sends 
by  whom  He  will  send,  nor  is  it  for  man  to 
call  in  question  the  fitness  and  propriety  of  His 
choice. 

The  leading  traits  in  Mr.  Hodgson's  character, 
after  his  conversion,  were  courage,  firmness,  and 
decision,  combined  with  a  generous  heart,  and 
the  most  fervent  zeal  for  Christ;  qualities  which 


REV.  T.   L.  HODGSON.  23 

were  absolutely  requisite  in  the  individual  who 
should  engage  in  the  work  to  which  he  was 
subsequently  called.  The  Great  Head  of  the 
church,  who  knows  what  each  of  His  servants 
is  fit  for,  and  who  assigns  to  each  his  post  of 
duty,  knew  what  Mr.  Hodgson  was  capable  of 
doing;  and,  passing  by  others,  whom  man 
would  probably  have  thought  more  suitable, 
chose  him  to  bear  His  name  among  the  Gen- 
tiles, in  a  land  at  this  time  enveloped  in  the 
densest  moral  gloom.  The  race  is  not  to  the 
swift,  nor  the  battle  to  the  strong ;  and  he  who 
has  courage  to  go  forth  with  a  sling  and  a  stone 
to  encounter  the  Philistine  before  whom  others 
tremble,  is  the  man  best  qualified  for  the 
enterprise,  and  most  likely  to  succeed. 

From  the  time  of  his  beginning  to  preach, 
Mr.  Hodgson  felt  that  his  call  was  to  be  sepa- 
rated to  the  work  of  the  ministry.  But  he  was 
afraid  of  intruding  on  the  sacred  office,  and,  as 
no  one  spoke  to  him  on  the  subject,  he  often 
doubted  whether  he  ought  to  dedicate  himself 
to  the  work  or  not.  That  he  gave  up  the  idea 
at  one  time  is  probable  from  the  fact  that  in 
the  year  1813  he  married;  a  step  which  he 
would  not  have  taken  just  then  had  he  been 
quite  decided  as  to  his  future  course.  The 
object  of  his  choice  was  Miss  Ann  Forster,  of 
Darlington,  a  lady  of  considerable  intelligence, 
and  of  deep  and  fervent  piety.  "\\Tien  she  united 
herself  to  Mr.  Hodgson,  she  little  thought  of 
being  called  into  such  a  sphere  of  usefulness  as 
she  subsequently  occupied :  but  she  proved 
c  2 


24  mp:moir  or  the 

herself  admirably  fitted  for  the  post,  both  iu 
the  work  at  home,  and  iii  the  more  arduous 
toils  of  the  Mission-field  abroad. 

His  marriage,  however,  did  not  prevent  his 
being  called  out  into  the  ministry.  The  high 
esteem  in  which  he  was  held,  and  the  promise 
which  he  gave  of  being  eminently  useful,  in- 
duced the  Rev.  Thomas  Yasey,  the  Superin- 
tendent of  the  Darlington  Cii'cuit,  to  request 
him  to  leave  his  situation,  and  to  take  an 
appointment  at  the  ensuing  Conference.  His 
worldly  prospects,  at  this  time,  were  somewhat 
flattering,  and  the  claims  of  two  younger  sisters 
on  his  care  and  attention  were  rather  ui'gent ; 
but  he  resolved  to  follow  the  leading  of  Di\4ne 
Providence,  and,  whatever  it  might  cost  him, 
to  leave  himself  in  the  hands  of  God.  '*  The 
way  of  man  is  not  in  himself :  it  is  not  in  man 
that  walketh  to  direct  his  steps."  Our  lot  in 
life,  our  sphere  of  usefulness  in  the  church,  is 
chosen  for  us  by  Him  who  worketh  all  things  ac- 
cording to  the  counsel  of  His  ot\ti  will.  Hajojjy, 
then,  is  the  man  who  is  willing  to  follow  the 
cloud  that  goes  before  him,  and  to  take  just 
that  place  which  is  assigned  to  him  by  Pro- 
vidence. He  might  perhaps  find  an  easier, 
and,  as  far  as  this  world  is  concerned,  a  more 
lucrative  position ;  but  a  safer  and  a  better  one, 
^'iewed,  as  our  earthly  course  should  ever  be, 
in  reference  to  eternitj-,  he  cannot  find.  Man's 
highest  happiness  is  dependent  on  his  submis- 
sion to  the  will  of  God. 

At  the  Conference  of  1815,  Mr.  Hodgson  was 


RET.  T.  L.   HODGSON.  25 

proposed  as  a  candidate  for  the  Wesleyan 
ministry,  and  accepted.  Greatly  to  his  honour, 
his  own  Circuit  asked  to  be  favoured  with  his 
laboiu's;  but  he  was  sent  to  Stockton,  where 
he  met  with  a  veiy  cordial  reception,  and 
where  he  soon  found  himself  at  home.  Here 
he  laboured  two  years ;  and  subsequently  he 
travelled  in  the  Brigg,  Lancaster,  and  Eetford 
Circuits,  in  all  which  he  was  both  useful  and 
beloved.  In  reference  to  Lancaster,  he  ob- 
serves in  his  Journal,  under  date  July  27th, 
1819  :  ''In  siu^veying  the  last  Methodistic 
year,  I  see  much  cause  for  gratitude  to  Almighty 
God.  My  apj)ointment  to  Lancaster,  which 
was  unsought  both  by  the  people  and  myself, 
has  been,  I  trust,  a  blessing  both  to  me  and  to 
the  Circuit.  I  leave  this  aJffectionate  people 
with  regret,  having  to  tear  myself  fi'om  them, 
impelled  by  sti'ong  domestic  reasons  to  solicit 
an  appointment  in  the  neighboui'hood  of 
Horton.  I  leave  the  Circuit  with  an  in- 
crease of  one  hundred  and  sixty-two  members, 
and  the  Societies  in  general  more  alive  to 
God." 

When  he  went  to  Retford,  ''he  was  "  (says 
his  friend,  Mr.  J.  Otter)  "in  the  vigour  of  his 
days,  and  his  piety  was  equally  fresh  and 
glowing."  His  character  was  marked  by  deep 
humility,  great  kindness,  and  a  calmly  fervent 
zeal.  In  his  efforts  to  do  good,  he  was  incessant 
and  untiring.  His  addresses,  which  were 
plain,  fervent,  and  heart-searcliing,  were 
usually  accompanied  with  power  from  on  high  ; 
c3 


26  MEMOIR    OF   THE 

SO  that  his  ministry  drew  hxrge  congregations, 
and  was  eminently  snccessful.  During  the 
two  years  that  he  remained  in  Retford,  there 
were  added  to  the  Society  as  the  result  of  the 
united  labours  of  himself  and  his  colleague, 
three  hundred  members.  Yet  he  did  not  glory 
in  success,  but  only  in  the  Cross.  Grace  kept 
him  in  the  lowly  yale.  He  cast  his  trophies 
at  the  feet  of  Christ,  and  gave  the  praise  to 
Him. 

His  Journal  testifies  the  truth  of  these 
remarks.  October  9th,  1819,  he  observes: 
''  Eetiu'ning  from  the  outer  part  of  the  Circuit, 
I  felt  my  mind  much  revived  both  as  to  laj 
personal  experience,  and  the  cause  of  God, 
having  witnessed  at  least  thirty  persons 
earnestly  crying  for  mercy.  At  Rampton  the 
power  of  God  was  peculiarly  present.  I  Avas 
in  the  spirit  of  my  work,  and  all  the  people 
seemed  to  be  impressed  while  I  spoke  from 
1  Peter  iv.  18."  Yet  a  few  days  afterwards, 
October  12th,  he  wiites  :  '^I  have  felt  my  mind 
this  day  much  harassed,  and  have  been  strongly 
tempted  to  despondency  from  having  been 
deprived  of  my  usual  liberty  in  preaching  both 
on  Sunday  and  last  night.  But  I  acquiesce  in 
the  will  of  God,  since  it  is  necessary  that  I 
shoid.d  be  humbled  in  the  place  where  I  am 
the  most  blessed.  The  success  of  last  week 
was  calculated  to  raise  my  mind  above  its 
proper  standard ;  and  Satan  fails  not,  on  such 
occasions,  to  suggest,  'Thou  art  something.'  Eut 
I  nm  thankful  for  even  pulpit-trials ;   and  now 


IlEV.   T.  L.   HODGSON.  27 

feel  myself  in  the  dust  before  God,  and  less 
than  the  least  of  all  His  servants." 

Such,  doubtless,  are  often  the  feelings  of  the 
faithful  Christian  Minister.  Xow  he  is 
encouraged,  anon  depressed ;  now  upon  the 
mount,  anon  within  the  vale.  But  it  is  not 
every  Minister  who  is  thankful  '*  for  even 
pulpit-trials ;"  for,  of  all  things,  they  are  the 
most  humbling  to  the  pride  of  man.  For  this 
very  reason,  however,  they  are  necessary;  for 
if  there  is  a  place  in  the  world  where  God 
alone  should  be  exalted,  it  is  the  place  which  is 
o'ccupied  by  the  ambassador  of  the  Cross,  when 
he  is  holding  forth  the  word  of  everlasting  life. 

But  though  Mr.  Hodgson  was  thus  success- 
ful in  the  work  at  home,  another,  and  a  more 
arduous  sphere  of  laboiu*  was  before  him.  His 
convictions  of  duty  relative  to  preaching  the 
Gospel  of  Christ  were  accompanied  by  a  strong 
desire  to  offer  the  blessings  of  that  Gospel  to 
the  Heathen.  The  condition  of  a  perishing 
world  had  been  brought  before  his  attention ; 
and  he  panted  to  go  Ibrth,  and  to  lift  up  the 
standard  of  the  Cross  in  lands  where  the 
Redeemer  was  not  known.  That  his  motives 
were  of  the  purest  kind,  there  is  not  the 
slightest  doubt.  It  is  possible  for  a  Minister 
to  be  prompted  by  ambition,  by  a  love  of 
novelty,  or  by  a  spirit  of  romance,  to  go  into 
the  Mission-field.  Unacquainted  with  the 
difficulties  of  the  enterprise,  he  may  fancy  it  a 
most  pleasant  and  delightful  task,  and,  inasmuch 
as  it  will  afford  to  him  opportunities  of  seeing 


28  MEMOIR    OF    THE 

more  of  the  world  and  of  mankind,  he  may 
prefer  it  to  the  labours  of  a  Pastor  and  Minister 
at  home.  Actuated  by  such  views,  however, 
he  is  altogether  unfit  to  be  employed  in  it ;  and 
the  probability  is,  that  if  he  enters  it,  he  will 
soon  rejDont,  and  will  be  glad  of  an  excuse  to 
retiu'n  as  soon  as  possible.  Motives  of  the 
highest  and  of  the  purest  nature  should  actuate 
the  candidate  for  Missionary  service ;  motives 
of  the  highest  and  of  the  purest  nature  will 
alone  sustain  him  in  his  arduous  toil. 

Mr.  Hodgson  had  entertained  the  idea  of  a 
Missionary  life  for  some  time  ;  but  many  of  his 
friends  were  opposed  to  his  "siews,  and  thought 
that  he  ought  to  remain  at  home.  But  so  strong 
had  bis  con\TLctions  of  duty  on  the  subject 
become,  that  nothing  short  of  some  interference 
of  Divine  Providence  in  hedging  up  his  way 
could  induce  him  to  remain  any  longer  in  the 
home  work.  JSTo  such  interference  occurred; 
and  hence  his  resolution,  notwithstanding  the 
advice  of  friends  to  the  contrary,  was  formed  to 
go  far  hence  among  the  Gentiles.  He  was 
then  in  the  height  of  his  popularity  and  useful- 
ness ;  and  it  might  naturally  be  thought  that 
the  success  which  attended  his  ministrj^  at 
home  was  an  indication  of  Providence  that  he 
was  in  his  proper  sphere.  But  it  by  no  means 
follows  that  because  the  labours  of  a  Chiistian 
Minister  are  eminently  owned  of  God  in  his 
native  land,  he  has  no  call  to  exercise  his 
ministry  elsewhere.  The  man  who  is  use- 
ful   in    the    work    at   home,  is   likelv   to   be 


REV.  T.  L.  HODGSON.  29 

useful  iu  the  Avork  abroad.  It  is  ti'ue  lliat 
different  qualifications  are  required  for  different 
dei^artments  of  the  vineyard  to  be  cultivated ; 
and  it  may  be  that  a  Minister  who  is  well 
adapted  for  usefulness  among  a  home  population 
is  not  so  well  adapted  for  it  among  a  heathen 
people.  But  in  deciding  whether  he  shall 
labour  among  the  one  or  among  the  other,  he 
must  not  come  to  the  conclusion  that,  because 
he  is  successful  at  home,  he  ought  to  remain 
there ;  for  how  can  he  tell  but  that  abroad  his 
success  will  be  far  more  ample  ?  Mr.  Hodgson 
weighed,  and  weighed  with  considerable  care, 
all  such  arguments;  and,  having  done  so,  he 
resolved  to  tender  his  services  to  the  Wesleyan 
Missionary  Committee. 

The  Eev.  W.  Swan,  in  his  admii'able  letters 
on  Missions,  observes  :  "  Our  duty  to  God  and 
to  man  is  involved  in  the  question  of  dis- 
seminating the  Gospel ;  but  we  cannot  discharge 
that  duty  unless  the  love  of  God  and  man 
warm  our  bosoms,  and  put  spirit  and  life  into 
oui'  obedience.  '  The  love  of  Christ  constraineth 
us;  because  we  thus  judge,  that  if  One  died 
for  all,  then  were  all  dead :  and  that  He  died 
for  all,  that  they  which  live  should  not  hence- 
forth live  unto  themselves,  but  unto  Him  that 
died  for  them,  and  rose  again.'  Unless  thus 
influenced,  thus  '  constrained,'  and  carried 
beyond  the  base  and  selfish  considerations  of 
the  hireling,  the  vain  pretences  of  the  hypocrite, 
and  the  dreams  of  the  enthusiast,  there  can  be 
no  faithful  and  persevering  devotement  of  a 


30  MEMOIR    OF    THE 

man's  all  to  the  Missionaiy  work.  AYhen  God 
says,  '  Whom  shall  I  send  ? '  and  when,  in  the 
spirit  of  lowly  and  trembling,  but  rolling,  con- 
secration, a  man  can  say,  '  Here  am  I,  send 
me ;'  then,  and  then  only,  does  he  '  present 
himself  a  living  sacrifice,  holy,  acceptable  unto 
God,  which  is  his  reasonable  service.'"  It  was 
in  such  a  spirit  that  Mr.  Hodgson  laid  himself 
on  the  Missionary  altar;  constrained,  not  by 
sinister  or  selfish  views,  but  by  a  noble  and 
disinterested  desire  to  save  the  souls  of  those 
who  were  perishing  for  lack  of  knowledge. 
His  off'er  to  the  Missionary  Committee  was 
accepted,  and  he  was  ap^Dointed  to  labour  in 
South  Africa.  At  that  time  South  Africa,  as 
a  field  of  Missionary  toil,  was  but  very  little 
known.  The  Eev.  Barnabas  Shaw  had  entered 
on  his  career  in  that  country  a  few  years  before, 
and  the  Eev.  William  Shaw  had  just  gone 
forth  on  his  errand  of  mercy  to  the  land ;  but 
comparatively  little  was  known,  either  of  the 
difficulties  connected  with  such  a  Mission,  or  of 
the  results  which  would  be  likely  to  attend  it. 
It  was  not  altogether  an  untiied  field,  it  is 
true ;  for  the  ^Moravian  Missionaries  and  the 
Missionaries  of  the  London  Society  had  laboured 
in  it,  and  not  without  success :  but,  in  com- 
parison with  what  is  now  known  of  it,  its 
interior,  at  least,  was  a  terra  incognita ;  and 
Mr.  Hodgson,  therefore,  could  form  but  a  very 
inadequate  conception  of  the  territory  he  was 
about  to  cultivate.  He  went  by  faith,  "not 
knowing  whither  he  went;"  but  assured  that 


R?:v,  T.   L.   HODGSON.  31 

liowever  wild  the  country,  and  however  bar- 
barous its  inhabitants,  he  would  find  the  presence 
of  his  Master  there,  as  well  as  in  the  sanctuaries 
of  his  native  land. 

Preparations  for  his  departure  were  now 
made.  On  the  8th  of  February,  1821,  he  left 
Eetford  for  Darlington,  to  pay  a  farewell  visit 
to  his  fiiends.  On  the  23d  he  took  his  leave  / 
of  them,  and  in  his  Jom-nal  he  observes:  ''I 
am  thankfiil  that  the  Lord  has  so  graciously 
disposed  the  minds  of  so  many  of  my  friends 
to  ajDprove  of  my  becoming  a  Missionary,  and 
softened  down  the  objections  of  those  who 
cannot  attach  sufficient  importance  to  the 
reasons  by  which  I  am  governed ;  so  that  I 
have  met  with  nothing  but  kindness.  The 
parting-scene  was  distressing,  and  I  shall  never 
forget  the  pain  I  felt  at  leaving  dear  Bell,  to 
whom  I  had  long  stood  in  the  endeared  relation 
of  a  brother,  and  felt  all  the  anxiety  of  a  parent 
for  her  temporal  comfort  and  eternal  welfare. 
But  the  grace  of  God  was  abundantly  sufficient 
for  me ;  and  I  not  only  felt  the  approbation  of 
my  own  judgment,  but  also  that  of  Heaven." 
Such  passages  as  the  above  let  us  into  the 
secret  emotions  of  the  heart,  and  teach  us  that 
religion,  far  from  rendering  its  possessors  stoical 
to  natural  affection,  makes  them  more  sus- 
ceptible of  feeling.  Who  loves  so  ardently  as 
the  Christian  ?  or  who  feels  so  tenderly  as  he 
the  pang  of  separation  from  his  friends  ?  Yet 
in  the  midst  of  sorrow  he  has  hope  and  joy; 
for  to  him  the  prospect  opens  of  a  reunion  with 


32  MEMOIE   OF    THE 

his  companions,  from  whom  he  separated  here, 
in  a  brighter  world  above. 

On  the  5th  of  March,  Mr.  Hodgson  preached 
his  last  sermon  in  the  town  of  Retford.  It 
was  both  to  him  and  his  congregation  a  me- 
morable day.  He  knew  not  that  he  should  ever 
return  to  the  Circuit ;  and  many  who  heard 
him  then  were  quite  siu'o  that,  in  the  very 
nature  of  things,  they  would  never  hear  him  any 
more.  Under  these  circumstances,  that  "fare- 
well sermon"  was  not  an  ordinary  one,  nor,  it  is 
hoped,  was  the  effect  of  it  merely  transient.  On 
the  following  day  Mr.  Hodgson  and  his  family 
left  Eetford  for  London,  and  were  received  at 
the  Mission-house  with  great  affection. 

March  14th,  Mr.  Hodgson  thus  "v\T:ites : 
'*  This  morning  I  took  leave  of  the  Missionary 
Committee,  and  with  Messrs.  Leigh,  Horton, 
and  Walker  for  Xew  South  Wales,  and  Mr. 
Croscombe  for  Gibraltar,  was  addressed  by 
Messrs.  Clarke,  Atmore,  and  Marsden.  I  felt 
it  a  solemn  time,  especially  while  Mr.  Marsden 
was  engaged  in  prayer.  In  the  evening  I  was 
set  apart  for  the  Missionary  department  of  oiu' 
work.  Mr.  Watson  gave  the  address,  Mr. 
Morley  read  the  form  of  ordination,  and  put 
the  close  and  important  questions,  which  I 
answered  as  in  the  presence  of  Almighty  God. 
My  mind  was  much  impressed  with  the  increased 
responsibility  under  which  I  am  laid  to  God 
and  His  church.  May  I  ever  be  faithful  to 
the  grace  given,  and  improve  every  opportunity 
of  doing  good." 


RET.  T.  L.   HODGSON.  33 

Of  the  venerable  fathers  here  mentioned, 
one  only — the  Rev.  George  Marsden — sur\'ives. 
Dr.  Clarke,  Mr.  Atiuore,  Mr.  Morley,  and  Mr. 
Watson,  have  all  jDassed  away  fi'om  the  church 
militant  on  earth,  and  joined  the  church  tri- 
umphant in  heaven.  To  the  cause  of  Missions 
they  were  all  devotedly  attached;  and  it  is  well 
kno^vn  that  Mr.  AYatson,  especially,  took  a  very 
lively  interest  in  the  Mission  in  South  Africa. 
Some  years  after  this  he  even  indulged  the  idea 
of  visiting  Cape-ToA^Ti,  and  would  probably 
have  done  so,  had  it  been  deemed  expedient 
and  proper.  ''Had  the  Committee  called,"  he 
says,  in  his  letter  to  the  Rev.  B.  Shaw  on  the 
subject,  *'  I  would  have  obeyed." 

''  Our  fathers,  where  are  they?  and  the 
Prophets,  do  they  live  for  ever?"  Ah!  no. 
l^early  all  the  founders  of  the  Wesleyan  Mis- 
sionary Society,  together  with  many  of  its  ear- 
liest Missionaries,  have  gone  to  their  reward. 
May  their  spiiit  rest  on  their  successors  !  May 
the  same  disinterestedness  and  zeal  characterize 
those  who  have  entered  on  their  laboiu's  !  That 
Methodism  is  still  favoiu-ed,  both  at  home  and 
abroad,  with  agents  worthy  of  their  noble  pre- 
decessors, is  evident  from  the  aspect  which  its 
Missions  now  present.  The  lapse  of  thirty 
years  has  tended  to  consolidate,  strengthen,  and 
enlarge  them:  and  whereas  in  1821  the  income 
of  the  Missionary  Society  was  less  than  £50,000, 
and  its  members  less  than  30,000;  in  1853  its 
income  is  upwards  of  £100,000,  and  the  number 
of  its  members  108,286. 


34  MEMOIR    OF    THE 

Mr.  Hodgson  and  his  family  embarked  for 
their  destination  in  '*  The  Duke  of  Marlbo- 
rough," March  17th;  but  their  voyage  can 
scarcely  be  said  to  have  commenced  until  the 
oth  of  April,  as  they  were  detained  by  contrary 
winds,  &st  in  the  Downs,  and  afterwards  in 
Plymouth-Sound.  The  detention  was  trying 
to  their  patience ;  and,  having  no  Christian 
friends  on  board  the  ship,  they  began  to  feel 
the  loss  of  the  fellowship  of  saints,  so  pleasant 
and  so  j)rofitable  to  the  believer's  soul.  At 
Plymouth,  Mr.  Hodgson  went  on  shore,  and 
once  again,  prior  to  his  leaving  England,  en- 
joyed the  society  of  a  few  spirits  kindred  to  his 
own.  Plymouth  has  often  had  the  honour  of 
''  a  last  visit"  fi'om  the  Christian  Missionary, 
and  from  its  beautiful  bay  has  many  a  one 
taken  his  farewell  view  of  the  shores  of  his 
native  land. 


REV,    T.    L.     HODOSOX.  35 


CHAPTER  III. 

^u  jiBcrp  amnng  tlj^  d^rEtilps. 

Ox  the  5th  of  April  a  steady  breeze  from 
the  north  set  in,  and  presently  the  "  Duke  of 
Marlborough"  was  under  weigh,  and  was 
sailing  down  the  Channel  at  the  rate  of  nine 
knots  an  hour.  And  now  the  Missionary  was 
faii'ly  on  his  way  to  his  new  sphere  of  labour, 
— how  fared  it  with  him  ?  and  what  were  his 
views  and  feelings  while  on  the  mighty  main  ? 
Were  I  wiiting  a  history  of  the  Mission  merely, 
I  should  be  disposed  to  pass  over  the  incidents 
of  the  voyage ;  but  as  it  is  a  personal  memoir 
that  I  am  endeavouring  to  prepare,  a  few  ex- 
tracts from  his  Joui*nal  kept  at  sea  will  not  be 
out  of  place. 

''  April  8th. — Quite  free  from  sea-sickness. 
Was  enabled  to  read  prayers  and  preach  on 
deck  from  the  first  five  verses  of  the  first  Psalm. 
Gave  away  some  Tracts,  lent  two  books  to  read 
in  the  steerage  and  forecastle,  and  spent  some 
portion  of  the  day  in  attending  to  Dr.  Clarke's 
Commentary  and  Dwight's  '  Svstem  of  Theo- 

logy.' " 

"April  nth. — The  day,  I  ti'ust,  has  been 

spent  to  a  little  profit.     How  amazingly  the 

power  of  Omnipotence  appears  in  the  mighty 

ocean  on  wliich  we  sail,   in   resti'aining   the 

D  2 


36  MEMOIR   OF    THE 

element  within  its  prescribed  bounds  !  How 
great  the  loving-kindness  of  the  Lord  in  pre- 
serving us  in  this  comparatively  little  floating 
prison  from  apparent  danger  and  death !  How 
striking  the  idea  of  some  philosophers,  that  if 
the  bed  of  the  sea  were  empty,  all  the  rivers  of 
the  world  flowing  into  it  with  a  continuance 
of  their  present  supplies,  it  would  occupy  eight 
hundred  years  to  fill  it  to  its  present  height !" 

''April  14th, — Awoke  last  night  under  the 
apprehension,  from  the  rolling  of  the  vessel,  that 
the  ship  was  in  danger.  But  a  few  moments' 
reflection  caused  me  to  resume  my  wonted  con- 
fidence in  God,  and  proved  my  fears  ground- 
less. Numbers  become  so  accustomed  to 
dangers  by  habit  as  to  regard  them  but  little ; 
but  how  much  is  to  be  preferred  the  peace 
which  proceeds  from  confidence  in  the  Divine 
protection !  Enjoyed  upon  deck  one  of  the 
finest  mornings  I  ever  beheld;  the  ship  moving 
in  full  sail  with  a  fine  breeze,  and  the  sun 
beaming  forth  with  astonishing  splendour, — a 
bright  emblem  of  its  Creator,  to  vrhom  my 
mind  was  raised  while  walking  the  deck  before 
breakfast." 

"  The  undevout  astronomer  is  mad,"  says 
Young;  and  scarcely  less  so  is  the  undevout 
observer  of  those  majestic  scenes  which  are 
often  witnessed  on  the  mighty  sea.  The  above 
and  similar  passages  in  his  Journal  show  that 
Mr.  Hodgson's  mind  was  excited  by  these 
scenes  to  devotion  of  the  purest  kind.  But  his 
vras  not  that  religion,  merely,  which  nature's 


RF-V.   T.  L.   HODGSON.  37 

wonders  enkindle  in  the  breast :  he  had  an  eye 
to  adniire  the  rising  of  the  sun  j  but  he  had  a 
heart  to  adore  the  Sun  of  righteousness. 

''  April  2  2d. — This  morning  ushers  in  the 
remembrance  of  one  of  the  most  important  of 
all  events  to  man,  the  resurrection  of  Christ,  as 
the  first-fruits  of  them  that  sleep.  I  addressed 
our  company  on  deck  under  the  awning,  on  the 
subject  of  the  resurrection ;  but,  alas  !  we  have 
no  communion  of  saints  in  this  spiritually 
barren  wilderness.  0,  how  I  envy  my  Chris- 
tian friends  in  England  the  spiritual  privileges 
they  are  now  enjoying  with  the  different  assem- 
blies of  God's  people  in  the  places  where  His 
name  is  recorded!  However,  the  providence 
of  God  is  conveying  me  to  a  useful  and  honour- 
able sphere  of  action  ;  and  I  cheerfully  re- 
nounce the  enjoyment  of  Christian  society, 
and  long  to  be  the  honoured  instrument  of 
hastening  Christ's  kingdom  on  the  earth.  I 
feel  satisfaction  in  doing  that  in  act  wliich  I 
have  done  before  in  heart." 

There  is  a  beautiful  simplicity  in  these  ex- 
pressions, denoting  the  increase  of  that  invalu- 
able grace  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  acquiescence  in 
the  will  of  God.  Often  in  heart  had  Mr.  Hodg- 
son given  himself  up  to  the  work  of  a  Mission- 
ary :  now  he  was  doing  it  in  act,  and  he  possessed, 
in  consequence,  a  calm  and  settled  peace. 

''May  12th. — We  passed  the  equator  early 
this  morning,  in  long.  25°  west  of  London ; 
and,  having  met  with  the  south-east  trade- 
wind,  there  is  now  the  prospect  of  reaching 
D   3 


38  MEMOIR    OF   THE 

Cape-Town  in  about  five  weeks.  Witnessed 
the  ceremony  observed  by  the  sailors  on  passing 
the  line,  which,  through  the  influence  of 
Captain  Hollett,  was  conducted  with  less  folly 
than  is  usual  on  such  occasions.  The  ladies 
were  treated  with  the  utmost  civihty ;  and  I 
had  merely  to  accompany  Xeptiuie  and  his 
party  to  his  barber,  where  I  had  a  glass  of 
sea-water  poured  upon  my  right  hand,  as  an 
initiation  into  the  liberty  of  the  seas.  But 
some  of  the  sailors  and  of  the  steerage  passen- 
gers had  their  faces  covered  with  tar  and  dirt, 
Avhich  was  scraped  off  with  a  huge  razor,  after 
which  they  were  washed  with  buckets  full  of 
sea- water.  As  the  men  were  not  allowed  to 
get  intoxicated,  the  day  passed  off  with  singing 
songs,  &c. ;  and  nothing  particularly  indecent 
was  permitted.  But,  after  all,  how  low  is 
human  nature  sunk !  and  to  what  absurd  re- 
sources men  fly  for  happiness  !  It  was  truly  a 
ludicrous  sight  to  see  Neptune  and  his  wife 
seated  on  his  car,  accompanied  by  his  barber, 
secretary,  and  constables,  disfigiu^d  in  the 
most  fi'ightful  manner ;  and  that  part  of  the 
ceremony  which  I  witnessed  impressed  me  with 
the  thoughtlessness  and  folly  apparent  in  the 
character  of  seafaring  men  in  general." 

It  is  gi'atifying  to  know  that  this  absiu'd 
custom  is  falling  into  desuetude ;  and  that  in 
ships  of  the  most  respectable  class  it  is  ob- 
served, if  at  all,  T\'ith  much  less  annoyance  to 
passengers  than  formerly.  The  most  that 
can  be  said  for  it  is,  that  it  relieves  the  ennin 


KEV.  T.  L.  HODGSOX.  39 

induced  by  a  long  voyage ;  bnt  surely  some- 
thing more  rational  might  be  contrived,  which 
would  answer  such  a  purpose  quite  as  well. 

Mr.  Hodgson's  mind  was  often  deeply  pained 
with  the  wickedness  of  many  of  the  crew ;  and 
he  frequently  entered  into  conversation  with 
them,  and  reproved  them  for  sins.  Whenever 
it  was  practicable,  he  conducted  Divine  service 
on  the  Lord's  day,  and  bore  his  testimony,  to 
all  who  heard  him,  in  favour  of  religion,  and 
its  paramount  claims  on  the  attention  of  man- 
kind. That  some  of  the  precious  seed  thus 
scattered  would  afterwards  bear  fruit,  there  is 
surely  every  reason  to  hope ;  but  the  results  of 
these  efforts  on  the  part  of  the  Missionary  will 
be  known  only  at  the  final  day. 

The  voyage  was  a  long  and  tedious  one. 
Thirteen  weeks  transpired  from  the  ship's 
lea"VTJig  Gravesend  ere  the  promontory  of  South 
Africa  appeared  in  view.  At  length,  however, 
"the  stormy  Cape"  was  reached;  and,  after 
the  usual  tossing  experienced  in  its  vicinity, 
the  "Duke  of  Marlborough"  dropped  her 
anchor  in  Table-Bay,  on  the  18th  of  June,  to 
the  no  small  joy  of  all  on  board.  On  the  fol- 
lowing morning,  Messrs.  Shaw  and  Broadbent 
were  soon  on  board,  to  give  a  cordial  welcome 
to  Mr.  Hodgson ;  and,  in  a  short  time,  he  ac- 
companied them  on  shore,  and  exchanged  the 
cabin  of  his  ship  for  the  comfortable  accommo- 
dations of  the  Mission-house. 

A  few  days  more,  and  Mr.  Hodgson  entered 
on   his   work.     To  make   himself  acquainted 


40  MEMOIR    OF    THE 

with  the  Dutch  language,  he  both  taught,  and 
received  instruction,  in  the  native  school. 
"  June  25th. — This  evening  was  occupied  in 
teaching,  in  Dutch,  about  twenty  adults, 
chiefly  slaves.  Five  or  six  were  instructed 
privately,  by  Mr.  Shaw,  on  religious  subjects; 
after  which,  Mr.  Broadbent  gave  a  short  ex- 
hortation to  the  whole.  June  26th. — This 
evening  sixteen  children,  principally  slaves, 
were  taught  to  read.  I  joined  the  children  in 
theii'  instruction,  and  was  taught  my  alphabet 
and  monosyllables  by  a  child  about  the  age  of 
seven  years." 

Here  is  a  scene  :  the  Missionary  learning  the 
Dutch  alphabet  from  a  little  slave-child !  The 
sounds  of  many  of  the  letters  in  the  Dutch 
language  differ  from  those  in  the  English ;  and 
probably  that  little  slave-child  could  pronounce 
them  more  correctly  than  any  one  else  whom 
Mr.  Hodgson  could  then  obtain  to  teach  him. 
He  did  not,  therefore,  hesitate  to  become  a 
child  himself,  and  to  sit  and  listen  to  that 
infant- tongue. 

On  the  10th  of  Jvlj,  Mr.  Hodgson  had  an 
interview  with  Major-General  Donkin,  the 
acting  Governor  of  the  Cape,  to  whom  he  pre- 
sented a  letter  from  the  Missionary  Committee, 
and  by  whom  he  was  received  with  considerable 
politeness.  The  Governor  manifested  the  ut- 
most readiness  to  comply  with  any  reasonable 
wish  expressed  by  the  Committee,  and  spoke 
pointedly  of  the  satisfaction  he  had  felt  with 
the  Missionaries  already  sent  into  the  colony. 


ELY.  T.   1..   nODGSOX.  41 

That  excellent  functionary  proved  himself  a 
sincere  friend  to  Missionary  oj)erations;  and 
when,  on  another  occasion,  he  was  visited  by 
Messrs.  Shaw  and  Archbcll,  he  said,  "  Gentle- 
men, your  work  is  far  more  important  than 
that  of  any  Colonial  Governor  ;  and  though  my 
predecessor,  in  some  measure,  opposed  Mission- 
aries going  to  those  distant  tribes,  yet  I  will 
not.  If  you  wish  to  go,  do  so ;  and  I  Avish 
you  every  possible  success."  The  beneficial 
effects  of  religious  instruction  had  already 
begun  to  appear  in  the  conduct  of  some  of  the 
children  whom  the  Missionaries  had  taken 
under  their  charge. 

''July  14th. — I  was  much  pleased,"  says 
Mr.  Hodgson,  ''  with  a  little  slave-girl,  about 
nine  years  of  age,  one  of  the  childiTn  taught 
at  the  Mission-house,  and  who  attends  all  our 
means  of  grace  with  manifest  delight.  A 
fellow-slave  is  at  present  ill;  and  the  little 
girl  went,  a  few  evenings  ago,  to  request 
Mr.  Shaw  to  visit  her,  and  appeared  anxiously 
desirous  that  'Meester'  would  pray  with  the 
sick  slave;  from  whom  Mr.  Shaw  learnt  that 
the  child  had  several  times  attempted  to  pray 
with  her  herself,  and  always  went  and  talked 
to  her  on  returning  from  the  school,  or  evening 
service  at  the  Mission-house."  This  incident 
is  truly  beautiful,  and  furnishes  another  proof 
of  the  fact,  now  happily  more  generally  ac- 
knowledged than  it  was  then,  that  under  a 
black  skin  there  may  be  a  tender,  affectionate, 
and  loving  heart.     Think,  dear  reader,  of  the 


42  MEMOIR    OF    THE 

little  slave-giii  at  Cape-Town  praying  with 
her  fellow- slave,  and  say  whether  the  African 
is  an  alien  fr'om  the  human  race. 

At  the  time  of  which  I  write,  slavery  existed 
in  South  Africa,  as  well  as  in  other  possessions 
of  the  British  crown,  in  some  of  its  very  worst 
forms.  Most  of  the  respectable  European  in- 
habitants of  Cape-Town  had  slaves  resident  in 
their  houses,  and  waiting  at  their  tables ;  and, 
whilst  nothing  was  done  to  instruct  the  poor 
creatui'es,  they  naturally  became  exceedingly 
degraded. 

"July  15th. — My  pity  was  much  excited  from 
seeing  what  is  called  the  slave-dance,  which  is 
a  weekly  profanation  of  the  Sabbath,  under  the 
sanction  of  the  British  Colonial  Government. 
The  slaves  were  chiefly  from  the  Mozambique 
Channel;  and,  doubtless,  from  the  awful  state 
of  ignorance  they  are  in,  less  guilty  in  the 
sight  of  God  than  many  who  profess  and  call 
themselves  Christians.  It  is  surprising  to  see 
the  enthusiastic  ardour  with  which  they  keep 
up  their  amusement.  Some  had  their  heads 
ornamented  with  feathers  and  pieces  of  the 
akins  of  wild  beasts ;  and  their  legs  were  bound 
round  with  a  kind  of  beads,  formed  of  the  leaf 
of  the  bamboo,  in  which  were  enclosed  small 
stones,  to  make  a  rattling  noise.  Their  ap- 
pearance was  terrific ;  and  their  dance  was 
accompanied,  at  least  occasionally,  by  the  in- 
harmonious clang  of  the  tom-tom,  the  clapping 
of  hands,  and  the  shouting  of  both  slave- 
spectators  and  the  slaves  themselves." 


REV.   T.    L.   IIODGSOX.  43 

This  was  at  Cape-TowTi,  the  capital  of  the 
Cape  colony.  But,  happily,  we  may  add,  that 
such  things  are  numbered  only  "with  the  past. 
Slavery  exists  no  more  under  the  shadow  of 
the  British  flag;  and  the  state  of  society  at 
Cape-Town  is  now  considerably  improved.  The 
Sabbath  is  as  sacredly  observed  in  that  cit}" — 
for  to  this  designation  it  has  risen — as  in  any 
town  or  city  in  oiu'  native  land. 

Mr.  Hodgson  was  anxious  to  be  employed  in 
the  Namacqualand  Mission ;  but  to  that  Mission 
Messrs.  Archbell  and  Edwards  were  appointed, 
and  Mr.  Hodgson  remained  for  awhile  in  Cape- 
Town,  assisting  Mr.  Shaw  in  devising  and  carry- 
ing out  plans  for  promoting  the  spiritual  welfare 
both  of  the  English  and  of  the  coloured  popu- 
lation. For  the  benefit  of  the  latter  a  school- 
room was  erected,  and  for  the  use  of  the  former 
a  substantial  chapel.  This  chapel  was  opened 
by  the  Eev.  Dr.  Philips,  of  the  London  Mission- 
ary Society,  and  the  Eev.  Mr.  Beck,  one  of  the 
Dutch  Ministers  of  the  town ;  the  collections  at 
the  opening  services  amounting  to  upwards  of 
£33. 

But  Mr.  Hodgson  was  not  satisfied  to  re- 
main in  Cape-Town.  He  heard  of  tribes  in 
the  interior  of  the  country  who  were  perishing 
for  lack  of  knowledge,  barbarous  and  degraded 
to  an  exti^eme  degree ;  and  he  longed  to  go  and 
plant  the  standard  of  the  Gross  where  others 
had  not  laboured,  to  break  up  the  fallow- 
ground  of  Heathenism,  and  to  scatter  in  the 
imperishable  seed  of  truth.     A  Mission  to  the 


44  MEMOIK   OF   THE 

'  Bechuanas  had  already  been  projected,  and  two 
"^Missionaries  had  left  Cape-Town  with  a  Tiew 
to  its  commencement;  but  the  health  of  one  of 
them  suddenly  gave  way,  and  the  zeal  or  the 
courage  of  the  other  failed  him ;  and  hence  Mr. 
Hodgson,  who  felt  a  deep  interest  in  it,  feared 
that  it  would  not  then  be  entered  on.  He 
therefore  offered  to  go  into  the  Bechuana 
Country  himself,  and,  at  a  meeting  of  the 
brethi^en,  was  appointed  to  the  charge  of  that 
Mission:  the  Eev.  S.  Broadbent  being  requested 
to  accompany  him,  if  the  state  of  his  health 
would  permit. 

Considerable  difficulties,  however,  presented 
themselves,  and  a  delay  of  several  months  oc- 
curred ere  the  enterprise  could  be  undertaken. 
In  July,  1822,  we  find  Mr.  Hodgson  still  at 
Cape-Town;  and  on  the  23d  there  is  the 
following  entry  in  his  Journal : — 

''Walked  out  with  Eev.  B.  Shaw,  before 
breakfast,  to  see  the  six  ships  which  were 
driven  on  shore  by  the  violent  storm  that  has 
agitated  the  Bay  for  several  days.  The  '  Olive 
Branch '  is  a  wreck ;  and  the  *  Leander '  past 
recovery,  having  been  driven  upon  the  rocks. 
The  Captain  of  the  '  Sun '  volunteered  his 
services  courageously  to  fetch  the  men  from 
the  latter  brig,  and  succeeded  in  reaching  it, 
and  brought  the  first  boat-load  safely  to  shore. 
But  the  second  time  the  boat  was,  unhappily, 
upset  by  the  surf,  and  Captain  Middletou 
drowned ;  while  Captain  Murray,  of  the  '  Sun,' 
naiTowly  escaped  with  his  life.     It  was  truly 


IIKV.  T.  L.  HODGSON.  45 

distressing  to  sec  some  of  the  men  driven  on 
shore  by  the  force  of  the  waves,  and  those  who 
ching'  to  the  boat  struggling  for  deliverance. 
How  uncertain  is  life !  The  imfortunate 
Captain  escaped  from  the  T\T.'eck,  but  perished 
in  a  few  feet  of  water,  and  within  a  hundred 
yards  of  land." 

In  the  month  of  September,  1822,  Mr. 
Hodgson  and  his  family  embarked  in  the 
*'  Mary"  for  Algoa-Bay,  whence  they  intended 
to  proceed  to  the  coimtiy  of  the  Bechuanas. 
They  reached  their  destination  on  the  1st  of 
October,  and,  having  obtained  a  waggon,  &c., 
set  off  on  their  journey  into  the  far  interior. 
At  Salem,  in  the  Albany  District,  they  were 
welcomed  by  the  Rev.  W.  Shaw,  and  the  Rev. 
W.  Thi'elMl;  and  thence  they  proceeded  to 
Graham's-Town,  which  at  that  time  contained 
about  three  hundred  houses,  and  a  population 
of  perhaps  one  thousand  souls. 

Travelling  in  Africa,  as  the  reader  is  pro- 
bably aware,  is  performed  chiefly  in  a  waggon 
drawn  by  oxen.  The  roads  are  generallj' 
wretched,  and  the  rate  of  progress  is  neces- 
sarily slow.  Days,  and  even  weeks,  are  often 
spent  in  getting  over  a  very  small  tract  of 
country ;  and  if  the  weather  be  wet,  the  pro- 
bability is  that  you  will  be  unable  to  proceed 
at  all.  To  Mr.  Hodgson  and  his  devoted  -wife 
this  mode  of  travelling  was  not  a  little  trying  ; 
but  they  bore  their  cross  with  all  cheerfulness 
and  courage.  At  Graaf-Reinet  they  found  the 
Rev.  S.  and  Mrs.  Broadbent,  who  were  to  be 

E 


4G  Mr.AIOIE    OF    THE 

their  companions  in  the  entei-prise  before 
them ;  and  thence  the  whole  pai'tj  journeyed 
on  together  to  the  countiy  into  which  they 
wished  to  introdnce  the  Gospel. 

But  pro\dsions  for  the  way  were  necessary  ; 
and  of  Mr.  Van  Huren,  a  Dutch  farmer,  they 
purchased  thii'ty  goats,  forty  sheep,  and  two 
cows ;  and  their  retinue  consisted,  in  addition, 
of  three  waggons,  three  w'tiggon-drivers,  and 
two  leaders,  one  ox- watcher,  and  two  women, 
the  wives  of  two  of  their  men. 

The  incidents  of  each  day  were  carefully 
noted  by  Mr.  Hodgson  in  his  Journal;  but 
I  must  quote  a  few  passages  only,  illustrative 
of  the  country  through  which  he  passed,  and 
of  the  native  tiibes  with  whom  he  came  in 
contact. 

''  Sunday,  November  1 7th. — Left  our  resting- 
place  a  little  after  sunrise,  with  the  view  of 
reaching  a  Missionary  Institution  for  the  Bush- 
men, under  the  management  of  Jan  Goemau,  a 
native  Teacher  from  Bethelsdorp.  Our  journey 
proved  much  longer  than  we  expected,  and  we 
were  only  able  to  reach  it  in  time  for  the 
evening  service,  with  which  I  was  much 
pleased.  It  was  conducted  through  an  inter- 
I^reter;  the  person  addressing  them  speaking 
in  Dutch,  and  the  interpreter  in  the  Bushman 
language.  At  present,  there  are  about  twenty 
Bushmen  resident  on  the  spot,  but  the  usual 
number  is  about  sixty,  the  rest  having  gone  to 
a  distance  in  search  of  what  they  term  rice, — 
the  eggs  of  ants,  which  they  prepare  for  food. 


HEV.  T.    L.   HODGSON.  47 

The  native  Teacher  is  considered  a  good  man, 
and  his  manners  are  voiy  prepossessing.  Ho 
lives  in  a  reed-house,  but  is  building  one  of 
bricks." 

The  Bushmen  of  South  Africa  must  un- 
doubtedly be  placed,  both  physically  and  in- 
tellectually, in  the  very  lowest  scale  of  human 
society.  Their  dialect,  which  to  the  ear  of  a 
stranger  is  altogether  unintelligible,  and  con- 
sists of  a  number  of  disagreeable  soimds  formed 
by  clapping  the  tongue  upon  the  roof  of  the 
mouth,  allies  them  to  the  Hottentot  tribes, 
whose  language  was  originally  the  same. 
But  their  physical  organization  is  much  in- 
ferior to  that  of,  at  least,  many  of  the  Hot- 
tentots; and  though  they  certainly  possess 
minds  capable  of  cultivation, — a  fact  which 
certain  philosophers,  so  called,  have  denied, — 
yet  their  mental  powers  are  extremely  limited, 
so  much  so  as  to  preclude  the  hope  that  they 
will  ever  rise  high  in  the  scale  of  civilisation. 
Yet  the  Bushman  can  be  both  kind  and  hos- 
pitable. He  will  share  vrith  his  friends  the 
smallest  portion  of  food  that  he  obtains;  and  "  d. 
hungry  mother,"  says  Mr.  Moffat,  ''will  not 
unfrequently  give  what  she  may  receive  to  her 
emaciated  children,  without  tasting  it  herself." 
T^or  is  it  true  that  the  Bushman  is  incapable 
of  understanding  the  message  of  redemption. 
The  self-denying  labours  of  the  Christian  Mis- 
sionary among  this  degraded  people  have  been 
attended,  in  very  many  instances,  with  the 
most  gratifying  results.     The   poor  Bushman 


48  MEMOIR   OF    THE 

has  listened  to  the  truth,  comprehended  the 
tidings  of  a  Saviour's  love,  and  been  made  a 
partaker  of  the  consolations  of  the  Gospel.  It 
might  have  been  affirmed,  some  years  ago, 
that  he  could  never  be  converted ;  for  the  ex- 
periment had  not  then  been  made;  but  now 
that  he  has  been  brought  under  religious 
culture,  and  that  it  is  found  that,  wild  as  he 
is,  it  is  possible  to  improve  him,  and  to  train 
him  to  habits  of  industry'  and  devotion,  scep- 
ticism must  be  silent,  and,  however  reluctantlj'-, 
admit  that  he  is  a  member  of  the  family  of 
man. 

^Nevertheless,  how  wretched  is  his  history ! 
and  what  a  mj'sterj-  in  Divine  Pro^dclence  is 
the  state  in  which  we  find  him  ! 

Lea^-ing  Philipolis,  (the  name  of  the  Bush- 
man village, )  Mr.  Hodgson  and  his  companions 
journeyed  on,  frequently  falling  in  T\ith  parties 
of  Bushmen,  who  assailed  them  most  earnestly 
for  pieces  of  tobacco,  a  luxury  of  which  they 
are  passionately  fond.  By  December  4th  they 
reached  the  banks  of  the  Gariep,  or  Great 
Orange  Eiver,  which  takes  its  rise  in  the 
Quathlamba  range  of  moimtains,  and  after 
pursuing  a  westerly  course  of  several  hundred 
miles,  diu'ing  which  it  is  joined  by  numerous 
tiibutaries,  falls  into  the  Atlantic,  in  south 
lat.  29°  4',  east  long.  IG'^  2'. 

The  river  was  full,  and  there  was  no  bridge, 
so  that  floats,  consisting  of  the  trunks  of  trees, 
had  to  be  constructed,  on  which  the  whole 
party,  together  with  the  waggons,  were  earned 


KEV.   T.    L.    HODGSON,  49 

over.  The  natives  proved  themselves  remark- 
ably expert  in  this  kind  of  business ;  and  the 
landing  on  the  opposite  side  was  effected 
without  any  misfortune  or  disaster. 

At  a  Mission- station  called  Campbell,  after 
the  name  of  the  somewhat  celebrated  ti^aveller, 
they  were  kindly  welcomed  by  the  Missionarj-, 
Mr.  Sass ;  and  at  Griqua-Town,  which  they 
reached  after  another  day's  journey,  with  equal 
kindness  by  Mr.  Melville  and  his  family.  How 
pleasant  to  meet,  in  the  far-off  wilderness, 
with  Chiistian  bretliren,  to  enjoy  their  con- 
versation, and  to  unite  with  them  in  prayer! 
Mr.  Hodgson  had  met  with  Mr.  Melville  in 
Cape-Town,  and  had  greatly  admired  his  de- 
votedness  and  zeal ;  for  he  had  relinquished  a 
situation  under  Government,  worth  seven 
thousand  dollars  (£500)  per  annum,  for  one  of 
not  more  than  one  thousand  dollars,  chiefly  with 
the  view  of  spreading  the  Gospel  among  the 
native  tribes.  And  now  he  was  living  as  an 
agent  of  the  Government  among  the  Griquas, 
and  endeavouring  to  promote  both  their  tem- 
poral and  their  spiritual  good. 

An  American  poet  has  beautifully  said,  that 

"  All  through  life  there  are  way-side  inns,  where 
man  may  refresh  his  soul  Avith  love  : 
Even  the  lowest  may  quench  his  thirst  at  rivulets 
fed  by  springs  from  above." 

Yes ;   and  doubtless  our  travellers  found  one 

of  those  way-side  inns  at  Griqua-Town.     It 

Avas  long  ere  they  found  another  like  it ;  for 

E  3 


.50  MEMOIE    OF   THE 

tliere   was,   at   that  time,   no   Mission- station 
beyond  it  in  the  line  of  Mr.  Hodgson's  track. 

The  Griquas,  or,  as  they  were  formerly 
called,  the  Bastaards,  are  a  people  descended 
from  intermarriages  of  the  old  Dutch  colonists 
of  the  Cape  with  the  Hottentots  and  Xamac- 
quas.  The  name  Griqua  is  said  to  be  an 
abbreviation  of  Cherigriquois,  the  name  of  a 
tribe  living  to  the  south  of  the  Little  JS^amacquas. 
A  slave,  named  Adam  Kok,  the  great-grand- 
father of  the  individual  of  that  name  known 
in  Colonial  history,  purchased  his  freedom,  and 
procured  a  farm  among  the  Cape  colonists. 
Many  Hottentots,  and  other  coloured  people, 
gathered  around  him,  and  acknowledged  him 
as  their  Chief.  He  sold  his  domain,  and  emi- 
grated into  the  countiy  of  the  Kamacquas, 
where  his  subjects  increased  by  the  addition  of 
large  numbers  of  the  natives.  But  in  course 
of  time  calamities  befell  them ;  and  about  the 
year  1799,  Mi\  Anderson,  a  Missionar}^  of  the 
Loudon  Society,  found  them  wandering  on  the 
banks  of  the  Gariep,  in  a  state  of  barbarism, 
poverty,  and  wretchedness.  He  offered  to 
become  their  instructor  and  friend ;  and,  after 
following  them  in  their  wanderings  for  several 
years,  induced  them,  at  length,  to  fix  upon  a 
spot  as  a  settled  habitation,  to  renounce  their 
superstitions,  and  to  cultivate  the  soil.  The 
spot  selected  was  called  Griqua-Town,  where, 
as  early  as  the  year  1808,  Mr.  Anderson  minis- 
tered the  Gospel  to  a  congregation  of  eight 
hundred  persons,  and  where,  from  that  time  to 


EJ:T.  T.  L.  HODGSON.  51 

the  present,  notwithstanding  mimerous  trials, 
arising  from  the  wariike  disposition  of  the 
surrounding  tribes,  the  church,  thus  founded, 
has  been  graciously  preserved.'''  At  the  time 
of  Mr.  Hodgson's  visit,  however,  it  did  not 
present  a  very  promising  appearance. 


*  See  Moffat's  "Missionary  Labours;"  aud  Arbousset's 
"Narrative,"  translated  by  Brown. 


52  MEMOIK    OF    THE 


CHAPTER  IV. 

^^rnls  in  lljp  'ilnltrpriipss. 

Teayelld^g  in  the  interior  of  South  Africa 
may,  for  a  few  days,  be  sufficiently  romantic 
to  render  it  agreeable;  but  when  the  novelty 
of  it  is  gone,  it  becomes  exceedingly  wearisome, 
tedious,  and  disagreeable.  Our  friends  had 
already  been  many  weeks  upon  their  journey, 
having  no  other  habitation,  day  or  night,  but 
their  waggons;  and  they  had  yet  to  submit  to 
the  hardship  for  a  considerable  time  longer. 
Leaving  Griqua-Town,  they  proceeded  north- 
wards to  the  country  of  the  Bechuanas, 
among  whom  they  were  anxious  to  proclaim 
the  Gospel. 

"Missionaries  in  Africa  cannot  be  gentlemen," 
observes  Mr.  Hodgson  in  his  Journal,  under 
date  January  3d,  1823.  Indeed  they  cannot, 
if  by  that  term  we  are  to  understand  those 
who  are  imable  to  put  their  hands  to  any 
arduous  work.  A  Missionaiy  in  Africa  must 
be  willing  to  fell  timber,  mend  waggons,  build 
houses,  or  perform  any  other  kind  of  service 
which  is  requisite.  Mr.  Hodgson's  waggon 
wanted  a  new  axle-tree;  and  to  obtain  one,  he 
had,  with  considerable  difficulty,  to  cut  doAvn  a 
thom-tree,  the  wood  of  which  is  exceedingly 
hard;  and  then,  with  the  help  of  one  of  his 


hev.  t.  l.  noDGSoy.  53 

native  attendants,  to  put  it  into  shape.  "For 
the  fost  time  in  my  life  I  engaged  myself," 
says  Mr.  Hodgson,  ''in  the  employment  of  a 
Tvaggon-mender." 

The  waggon  being  repaii'ed,  the  jonrney  was 
again  resumed.  Herds  of  bufialoes,  quaggas,  and 
springboks  frequently  enlivened  the  country 
which  was  traversed ;  but  occasional  thmider- 
storms  broke  over  the  travellers,  and  compelled 
them  to  shut  themselves  up  in  their  waggons 
as  closelj'  as  they  could. 

On  the  5  th  of  Januaiy  they  reached  the  Yaal 
river,  which  takes  its  rise  in  a  mountain,  called 
by  the  French  Missionaries,  Mont  aiix  Sources, 
in  south  lat.  29°,  east  long.  30° ;  thence  pur- 
sues, in  the  first  instance,  a  course  to  the  north, 
afterwards  sweeps  round  to  the  west  and  south- 
west, and  finally  empties  itself  in  the  Great 
Orange  Eiver,  in  nearly  the  same  latitude,  and 
in  east  long.  25°. 

Imagine  that  you  see  the  Missionaries  and 
their  wives  encamped  by  the  side  of  the  above- 
named  river.  AVhat  a  change  fi'om  the  comfort 
they  had  enjoyed  in  their  fatherland !  but  they 
were  not  disposed  to  murmur  or  complain.  It 
was  the  Sabbath  ;  and,  assembling  together  the 
native  attendants,  Mr.  Hodgson  attempted  to 
preach  to  them  in  Dutch.  Alas  !  he  failed,  as 
others  in  like  circumstances  have  often  done 
since ;  for  he  had  not  yet  acquired  a  sufficient 
knowledge  of  the  language ;  and  thus  he 
laments  over  the  painful  circumstance: — "The 
difficulty  I  find  in  using  the  Dutch  language, 


54  MEMOia    OF    THE 

is  the  only  thing  I  am  discDuraged  with  in  my 
Missionary  labours ;  but  this  is  a  source  of 
strong  temptation,  leading  me  to  think  that  I 
have  not  done  right  in  leaving  my  native 
land."  Yet  Mr.  Hodgson  subsequently  became 
a  very  respectable  Dutch  Preacher;  for,  as 
Eliot  said,  when  he  had  completed  his  Gram- 
mar of  the  Indian  language,  ''Prayer  and 
pains,  through  faith,  will  do  anything." 

Among  the  greatest  trials  which  a  Missionary- 
traveller  encounters  in  South  Afiica,  is  that 
which  arises  from  the  temper  of  his  native 
servants.  They  are  generally  indolent,  self- 
willed,  and  awkward;  and  it  is  often  with 
considerable  difficult}^  that  they  can  be  induced 
to  proceed  on  the  journey  when  required. 
Towards  the  evening  of  the  day  Mr.  Hodgson 
thought  it  prudent  to  "inspan,"  as  it  is  called, 
and  requested  the  men  to  make  preparations 
accordingly.  One  of  them  positively  refused, 
and,  on  being  reasoned  with  on  his  conduct, 
threw  himself  into  a  violent  rage,  and  declared 
his  resolution  to  leave  the  Missionaries  on  the 
spot.  He  induced  the  rest  to  join  him ;  and, 
packing  up  their  clothes,  such  as  they  were, 
they  left  the  travellers  with  but  two  boys,  each 
twelve  years  of  age.  Their  situation  was 
one,  as  Mr.  Hodgson  observes,  "which  called 
for  strong  faith  in  the  providence  of  God;"  but 
he  and  his  companions  felt  that  they  were 
under  the  guardianship  of  Heaven,  and,  even 
under  these  circumstances,  they  that  night  re- 
tired to  rest  in  peace.     Their  confidence  wa,^ 


REV.  T.   I.  HODGSOX.  55 

not  misplaced ;  for  the  Chiistian's  God  is  in 
the  wilderness,  as  ■svell  as  in  the  city,  and  can 
protect  His  servants  in  the  greatest  perils. 
''  Thy  shoes  shall  be  iron  and  brass;  and  as  thy 
days,  so  shall  thy  strength  be."  Mark,  reader, 
hovr  they  were  preserved. 

"  About  ten  o'clock  the  sheep  were  disturbed 
by  the  approach  of  some  animal,  and  di'iven 
from  the  place  where  I  had  left  them.  Walk- 
ing round  the  camp,  with  a  loaded  gun  in  my 
hands,  I  saw  nothing  to  excite  alarm,  and,  ad- 
justing the  arrangement  of  our  cattle,  I  retired 
to  the  waggon,  where  I  enjoyed  refreshing 
sleep  until  one  o'clock,  when  I  was  awoke  by 
my  wife,  who  heard  the  approach  of  a  number 
of  people.  Looking  out,  I  saw  ten  men  on 
oxback,  and  two  on  horseback,  one  of  whom 
had  a  gun,  and  one  an  assagai,  several  of  them 
clothed  merely  in  theii*  skin-karosses.  The 
sight  was  novel,  and  calculated,  in  our  defence- 
less state,  to  awaken  fear;  but  I  rose  to  greet 
them,  and,  as  they  approached  the  waggon, 
found  them  friendly." 

They  were  a  party  of  Corannas  from  a  neigh- 
bouring ki-aal,  who,  having  heard  of  the  arrival 
of  the  Missionaries,  had  come  to  visit  them. 
How  opportune  was  their  coming  !  Who  will 
not  say  that  the  hand  of  God  was  in  it  ?  And 
now  several  of  the  servants,  finding,  perhaps, 
that  help  had  come  to  the  Missionaries  from 
another  quarter,  retiu-ned,  and  offered  to  pro- 
ceed with  them  a  little  further. 

Thev  arrived  at   a   large   Coranna  village, 


56  MEMOIR   OF   THE 

where  the  Chief  received  them  with  great 
cordiality,  and  where  they  remained  several 
days.  But  when  they  signified  a  wish  to  pro- 
ceed, the  Chief,  whose  name  was  Chudeep, 
endeavoured  to  j)revent  them.  *'  I  hope,"  said 
he,  "  that  you  are  come  to  teach  me  and  my 
peoj)le  the  great  word."  "We  are  glad  to 
hear  you  say  so,"  replied  the  Missionaries; 
"  but  we  are  sent  by  our  fathers  to  the  Bechu- 
anas,  to  whom  we  are  on  our  way."  "  But 
would  not  your  fathers  be  pleased  if  you  stopped 
with  me?"  "We  cannot  tell  without  asking 
them,  and  they  are  at  a  great  distance  from 
us,"  The  Chief,  however,  was  not  satisfied, 
and  when  the  Missionaries  were  about  to  depart, 
he  ran  before  the  waggons,  to  try  to  detain  them, 
and,  after  using  many  arguments  to  induce  the 
strangers  to  remain,  he  at  length  said,  with 
deep  feeling,  "  If,  after  all,  you  do  lea/ve  me,  I 
ivill  lay  me  down,  and  sigh  my  life  out.^^  "  Our 
hearts,"  observes  Mr.  Hodgson,  ''were  moved; 
for,  instead  of  having  to  protect  oiurselves  from 
those  engaged  in  war,  our  chief  difiiculty  at 
this  time  was  to  tear  ourselves  from  those  who 
were  ready  to  contend  which  tribe  should  have 
the  messengers  of  peace.  Had  not  our  Mission 
been  expressly  to  the  Bechuana  nation,  we 
could  not  have  done  violence  to  our  feelings  in 
resisting  the  urgent  claims  of  the  old  man  and 
of  his  people." 

It  must  not  be  supposed,  however,  that  the 
urgency  of  this  Chief  arose  from  any  sense  of 
the  value  of  the  Gospel,     "\^^lat  could  he,  a 


HEV.  T.  L.  HODGSON.  57 

wretched  Heathen,  who  had  never  until  now 
even  heard  the  name  of  Christ,  understand  of 
the  designs  of  the  ambassadors  of  the  Cross? 
Doubtless  his  hope  was  to  derive,  from  the 
residence  of  the  Missionaries  with  him,  certain 
temporal  advantages.  War  was  at  that  time 
raging  in  the  neighbourhood ;  and  perhaps  he 
thought  that  the  white  man  would  be  able  to 
afford  him  some  help,  in  case  the  enemy  should 
approach  his  village.  But  whatever  the  motives 
were  by  which  he  was  actuated,  Mr.  Hodgson 
would  "willingly  have  complied  with  his  request, 
had  he  felt  himself  at  liberty  to  do  so.  Glad 
indeed  was  he  to  find  that  any  of  the  tribes  of 
the  country  were  willing  to  receive  him,  even 
though  they  did  not  understand  the  object  of 
his  Mission. 

The  Corannas  are  a  tribe  of  Hottentots. 
Their  name  is  derived  fi'om  a  Chief  called  Cora, 
who  formerly  lived  in  the  neighbom^hood  of 
Cape-Town,  and  who  sold  a  considerable  por- 
tion of  the  territoiy  he  occupied  to  the  early 
Dutch  settlers.  Compelled  afterwards,  by  their 
encroachments  on  the  remainder,  to  retire  into 
the  interior,  he  and  his  people  led  a  wandering 
life,  and  fell,  still  lower  than  they  were  before, 
into  barbarism,  wi^etchedness,  and  vice.  Sad  is 
the  tale  of  the  treatment  experienced  by  many 
of  the  native  tribes  of  Africa  at  the  hands  of 
the  Dutch  colonists,  and  terrible  will  be  the 
account  which  they  will  have  to  give  at  the  bar  of 
the  righteous  Judge  of  the  whole  earth.  Many 
of  the  calamities  which  have  since  come  upon 


58  MEMOIR   OF    THE 

South  Africa  may,  undoubtedly,  be  traced  to 
this  one  cause ;  but  the  guilty  parties  have 
passed  to  their  account,  and  in  the  hands  of  the 
Avenger  of  the  oppressed,  be  they  white  or 
black,  they  must  be  left.  Happy  should  we 
be  were  we  able  to  say  that  none  of  their 
descendants  have  inherited  their  spirit;  but, 
alas  !  events  testify  to  the  contrary. 

Of  the  character  of  the  Corannas  little  can 
be  said  which  is  in  any  degree  favourable. 
They  are  proverbially  indolent,  crafty,  and 
rapacious.  At  the  time  that  Mr.  Hodgson 
travelled  through  their  villages,  and  for  many 
years  after,  they  were  at  war  with  the  sur- 
rounding tribes ;  and  though  an  attempt  was 
subsequently  made  to  gather  them  together, 
and  to  bring  them  under  the  influence  of  Chris- 
tian teachers,  it  was  successful  only  to  a  very 
limited  extent. 

The  journey  was  resumed,  but  difficulties 
multiplied.  Now  the  cattle  were  lost,  anon 
the  sheep  were  missing,  and  once  the  inter- 
preter decamped.  The  loss  of  the  sheep,  on 
which  the  travellers  had  partly  to  depend  for 
subsistence,  was  a  serious  matter;  and  Mr. 
Hodgson  was  under  the  necessity  of  mounting 
an  ox  and  riding  off  in  search  of  them.  Listen 
to  his  dcscrijDtion  of  this  adventure  : — 

*'  This  is  the  first  time  I  have  moimted  an 
ox;  but  I  found  it  a  more  agreeable  mode  of 
travelling  than  I  had  anticipated,  and  it  is 
certainly  well  suited  to  this  country  and  the 
habits  of  its  people.     The  ox  used  for  riding 


KEV.  T.  L.  HODGSOX.  59 

has  a  stick  run  through  its  uose,  to  which  is 
fastened  a  piece  of  a  hide,  as  a  bridle.  Upon 
his  back  are  placed  one  or  more  sheep-skins, 
girt  round  his  body  with  a  rein,  to  which  two 
other  reins  are  fastened,  one  on  each  side,  to 
answer  the  purpose  of  stirrups.  In  this  way 
the  traveller  must  journey;  and  with  a  good 
sambock, — a  whip  made  out  of  the  hide  of  the 
hippopotauius  or  other  large  animal, — though 
not  so  comfortable  as  on  the  back  of  a  horse, 
and  though  subject  to  an  occasional  blow  from 
the  animal's  tail,  he  may  make  good  progress." 
Unhappily  the  sheep  were  not  found.  After 
two  days'  search,  ^h\  Hodgson  was  obliged  to 
give  up  the  pursuit,  concluding  that  they  had 
been  either  devoured  by  wild  beasts,  or  driven 
away  by  some  of  the  natives  that  were  wander- 
ing through  the  country. 

War  was  devastating  the  land.  A  com- 
mando of  Ka&s,  or  of  some  other  tiibe,  had 
come  do^Ti  from  the  north,  and  were  spread- 
ing in  their  track  misery  and  death.  Our 
travellers  fell  in  with  numerous  deserted  vil- 
lages, the  inhabitants  of  which  had  fled  in 
consternation  before  the  anticipated  aj^proach 
of  the  enemy.  How  touching  is  the  follow- 
ing !— 

"  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Broadbent,  my  wife,  and 
myself  walked  to  one  of  the  adjoining  villages, 
a  mile  distant,  and  again  beheld  marks  of  the 
hasty  manner  in  which  the  people  had  left 
theii*  recent  habitations.  At  a  distance  we 
observed  three  dogs,  fat  and  well-favoui-ed ;  and, 
F  2 


GO  MEMOIll    OF    THE 

upon  approaching  the  centre  of  the  village, 
Mr.  Broadbcnt  saw  a  little  child  sitting  by  a 
small  house,  peeping  through  the  upper  part  of 
a  kaross  with  which  it  was  covered.  It  was  a 
mere  skeleton,  unable  to  stand  from  weakness, 
and  altogether  an  object  of  the  greatest  pity 
and  wonder,  as  it  must  have  been  several  days 
without  any  one  to  communicate  to  its  wants, 
and  most  likely  without  food,  except  what  it 
may  have  gathered  from  the  leaves  of  the 
bushes  adjoining  the  kraal." 

This  destitute  one  proved  to  be  a  girl  about 
six  years  of  age,  who  had  been  abandoned  by 
her  friends,  and  left,  as  for  as  they  knew  or 
cared,  to  perish.  She  became  the  protege  of 
Mrs.  Hodgson,  who  called  her  Orphena,  noiu'- 
ished  her,  and  brought  her  up ;  and,  with 
considerable  difficulty,  (for  she  was  not  easily 
managed,)  instilled  into  her  mind  the  principles 
of  religious  truth.  She  afterwards  came  to 
England,  in  Mrs.  Hodgson's  service,  and  was 
an  object  of  considerable  interest  to  all  who  saw 
her.  On  Mr.  Hodgson's  second  voyage  to  the 
Cape,  she  returned  with  him  to  her  native  land. 

The  travellers  were  now  approaching  the 
territory  of  Siffonello,  a  Chief  of  the  Bechuanas, 
with  whom  it  was  their  intention,  shoidd  their 
way  be  opened,  to  commence  a  Mission.  33ut 
the  oxen  were  again  missing ;  and  again  Mr. 
Hodgson,  having  sought  them  for  some  time 
"\\dthout  success,  resolved,  if  possible,  to  find 
out  the  residence  of  the  Chief,  and  to  endeavour 
to  obtain  some  assistance  from  him.     In  com- 


KEV.  T.   L.   U0DU60X.  61 

puny  with  the  interpreter,  who  had  found  his 
way  back,  and  two  liochuanus,  he  left  his  coni- 
panions,  and,  journeying  on  foot,  proceeded  in 
the  direction  in  which  he  understood  Siffonello 
lived. 

"February  8th,  1823.— My  bed,  last  night, 
was  between  tAVO  rocks,  with  a  stone  for  my 
pillow;  and  having  nothing  but  the  ground 
to  lie  upon,  which  was  veiy  uneven,  and,  the 
night  being  cold,  I  had  very  little  sleep.  We 
were  able,  however,  to  proceed  on  oiu-  journey 
before  the  sun  appeared ;  and,  passing  an  ex- 
tensive plain,  we  descended  a  little,  towards  a 
river,  on  the  banks  of  which  were  seen  an 
astonishing  number  of  wild  beasts,  of  different 
descriptions,  whilst  one  part  of  a  distant  hill 
Avas  perfectly  black  with  thousands  of  blesboks, 
which  were  feeding  on  its  side.  I  passed  the 
river,  when,  just  as  I  had  got  over,  one  of 
the  men  observed,  behind  some  reeds,  and  but 
sixty  yards  from  us,  eight  lions,  six  full-grown, 
and  two  small  ones.  He  immediately  apprised 
us  of  our  danger,  and  we  all  quickly  retii'ed  a 
little  up  the  hill,  when  we  had  a  distinct  view 
of  all  the  lions,  which,  after  looking  at  us  for 
awhile,  went  in  a  body  to  another  part  of  the 
river.  Had  they  been  pressed  by  hunger,  or 
had  any  circumstance  occurred  to  excite  their 
rage,  we  were  most  certainly  in  their  power ; 
and,  but  for  the  kind  providence  of  God  leading 
me  to  cross  the  river  where  I  did,  I  should 
have  gone  among  the  reeds,  in  expectation  of 
meeting  with  better  water." 
F  .3 


G2  MEMOIR    OF    TILE 

After  another  day's  journey,  Mr.  Hodgson 
reached  the  residence  of  the  Chief.  He  was 
sitting  near  his  hut,  under  the  shade  of  a  tree, 
Avith  several  of  his  people.  But  outward  signs 
of  dignity  there  were  none.  A  Kaffir  or  a 
Bechuana  Chief  is  often  clad,  as  are  the  mean- 
est of  his  subjects,  in  a  filthy  skin-kaross ; 
and,  though  he  possesses  almost  unlimited 
authority  over  his  tribe,  and  is  fully  conscious 
of  his  greatness,  yet  he  makes  but  little  dis- 
play of  it  to  the  eye,  and  is  generally  as  mean 
and  ignoble  in  his  manners  as  the  lowest 
individual  at  his  feet. 

He  received  the  Missionary  with  great  cor- 
diality, gave  him  abundance  of  milk  and  corn, 
and,  on  being  made  acquainted  with  the  fact, 
that  his  oxen  were  lost,  promised  to  come  and 
visit  his  encampment,  and  to  render  him  assist- 
ance in  the  recovery  of  the  cattle.  The  Mis- 
sionary then  asked  for  a  couple  of  oxen,  on 
which  to  return  back  to  his  family  and  friends ; 
but  these  were  at  first  refused,  the  Chief  being 
anxious  to  retain  his  visiter  as  long  as  possible. 
At  length,  however,  they  were  granted;  and 
Mr.  Hodgson  hastened  to  retiu^n. .  But  let  us 
hear  his  own  words  : — 

''While  dining,  I  was  informed  that  two 
oxen  had  arrived ;  and,  hun^ying  William," 
(his  servant,)  ''we  prepared  for  our  journey 
without  delay,  thanliful  that  my  ^udsh  had 
been  so  unexpectedly  complied  mth.  The 
oxen  being  ready,  we  took  leave  of  our  new 
friends,    and   mounted.      But   we   foimd   the 


REV.  T.  L.  HODGSON.  63 

finimals  the  most  unmanageable  I  had  ever 
mtnessod.  William  was  thrown  from  the 
one  he  rode,  and  I  was  nearly  so,  more  than 
once.  After  contending  with  them  for  some 
time,  and  travelling  about  a  mile,  meeting 
with  some  natives,  we  sent  the  oxen  back, 
and  went  forward  on  foot.  After  walking 
about  six  hoiu's,  we  were  compelled  to  rest  in 
the  middle  of  a  large  plain,  where  we  could 
find  nothing  to  screen  us  fi'om  the  weather  but 
a  tuft  of  grass." 

"Were  not  these  hardships.  Christian  reader  ? 
And  for  what  were  they  endui-ed  ?  For  worldly 
gains,  honours,  and  distinctions  ?  J^o  !  But  for 
the  sake  of  carrying  into  the  interior  of  South 
Africa  the  tidings  of  the  love  of  Christ. 

After  two  days'  journey,  the  Missionary 
reached  the  waggons.  ''About  six  o'clock  p.m., 
I  was  welcomed  by  my  dear  wife  and  friends, 
whom  I  joined  with  much  gratitude  to  our 
heavenly  Father  for  His  mercies  to  us  all 
during  my  absence.  This  journey,  while  it  has 
been  attended  with  much  anxiety  of  mind,  great 
waste  of  bodily  strength,  and  not  a  little  danger, 
will,  I  hope,  tend  to  further  the  object  of  our 
Mission,  as  intercourse  is  now  open  with  the 
Chief  with  whom  we  wish  to  settle."  On  the 
next  day,  February  13th,  he  writes  thus: — 
''How  agreeable  is  repose  after  fatigue;  the 
comfort  enjoyed  in  the  bosom  of  my  family 
after  an  absence  of  a  few  days  I  Our  pleasui^es 
in  this  life  arise  much  from  contrast.  My 
waggon,  compared  mth  my  hai'd  bed  on  the 


64  MEMOIR    OF    THE 

ground,  was  like  a  palace.     Surely  the  mercies 
of  the  Lord  are  great." 

The  Journals  of  Mr.  Hodgson,  from  which  I 
can  give  but  a  few  brief  exti'acts,  are  full  of 
pious  sentiments  of  this  kind,  indicating  that, 
in  the  midst  of  all  his  difficulties,  his  mind 
was  still  kept  in  a  spiritual  frame,  and  that 
the  source  from  which  he  drew  his  consolations 
W'as  the  throne  of  grace. 

According  to  his  promise,  the  Chief,  accom- 
panied by  several  of  his  people,  visited  the 
Missionaries,  bringing  with  him  an  ox  for 
slaughter,  and  a  quantity  of  thick  milk.  From 
Siffonello  Mr.  Hodgson  hoped  to  obtain  some 
oxen,  to  enable  him  to  proceed ;  but  the  Chief 
had  none  that  had  been  trained  to  di-aw,  and 
the  Missionaries  resolved,  as  the  only  expedient 
to  which  they  could  have  recourse,  to  send  to 
Campbell  for  oxen  they  had  left  behind.  This, 
however,  would  involve  a  detention  of  several 
days;  and  great,  therefore,  was  their  anxiety 
in  being  obliged  to  submit  to  it.  But  while 
Mr.  Broadbent  and  Mr.  Hodgson  were  writing 
their  letters  to  the  Missionaries  resident  at 
Campbell,  what  was  their  astonishment  when 
they  saw  their  lost  oxen  approaching,  driven 
by  three  Bechuanas  !  They  had  been  stolen ; 
but  the  thieves  having  been  alarmed  at  the 
rejDort  of  the  guns  which  were  fired  by  the 
men  who  had  gone  in  pursuit  of  them,  fled 
from  the  spot,  leaving  the  cattle  behind,  which, 
being  thus  left,  wandered  about  the  countiy, 
imtil  they  were  found  by  some  of  Siffonello' s 


HEV.    T,  L.  nODGSON.  65 

men.  This  very  opportune  deliverance  excited 
in  the  breasts  of  tlie  ^lissionarics  the  highest 
joy.  They  saw  in  it  the  hand  of  God.  They 
recognised  His  providence  in  all  that  had  tran- 
spired. Even  the  loss  of  the  oxen  had  been 
overruled  for  good ;  and,  now  that  they  were 
recovered,  the  gratitude  of  the  ti'avellers  was 
all  but  inexpressible. 

''How  wonderful  and  mysterious,"  says  Mr. 
Hodgson,  "  are  the  ways  of  God !  How  fi-aught 
with  wisdom  and  with  mercy  are  all  His  dis- 
pensations !  It  is  necessary  for  a  Missionary 
often  to  stand  still,  and  see  the  salvation  of 
God.  We  were  often  tempted  to  say,  with 
Jacob,  '  All  these  things  are  against  us  ; '  but,  if 
we  ma}^  hazard  an  opinion  on  the  operations  of 
His  providence,  we  may  indeed  say,  '  He  hath 
done  all  things  well.' " 

And  now,  after  three  weeks'  delay,  the 
waggons  were  again  set  in  motion.  Conducted 
by  a  number  of  the  people  amongst  whom 
they  proposed  to  take  up  their  abode,  the 
Missionaries  journeyed  on  to  the  place  where 
the  main  body  of  the  tribe  was  stationed.  The 
Chief  himself,  wrapped  in  his  skin-kaross, 
carrying  his  shield,  spears,  and  umbrella,  (the 
latter  formed  of  ostrich-feathers  fastened  on 
a  stick,  on  the  top  of  which  was  Mr.  Hodgson's 
hat,  to  which  he  had  taken  a  great  fancy,)  led 
the  way,  accompanied  by  his  son  and  heir,  and 
by  foui'teen  of  his  people,  armed  with  shields, 
battle-axes,  and  assagais.  Thus  were  the 
heralds  of  the  Cross  welcomed  to  the  country  of 


66  MEMOIll    OF    THE 

the  barbarous  Bechiianas.  How  novel  was 
the  scene !  One  could  wish  that  some  artist 
had  been  there  to  sketch  it. 

The  residence  of  the  Chief  being  reached,  the 
Missionaries  halted,  and  began  to  hope  that 
now,  at  length,  they  would  be  able  to  enter  on 
their  evangelistic  toil.  But  the  nomadic  habits 
of  the  tribe  rendered  it  impossible  to  commence 
operations.  The  Chief,  having  no  settled 
dwelling-place,  was  uncertain  whether  he 
should  remain  in  that  part  of  the  country  or 
remove  elsewhere.  What,  then,  could  the  Mis- 
sionaries do  ?  They  could  only  wait  until 
Providence  should  still  further  clear  their  way, 
and,  making  their  tents  and  waggons  their 
habitations,  take  such  opportunities  of  preaching 
and  giving  instruction  to  the  people  as  were 
afforded  them.  Meanwhile  they  were  frequently 
annoyed  with  the  prjing  curiosity  of  those 
around  them,  and  still  more  Avith  their  avarice 
and  cupidity.  The  Chief  himself  was  con- 
stantly coming  to  them  for  presents  of  tobacco, 
beads,  and  other  articles  in  their  possession, 
which  they  required  for  barter;  whilst  his 
wives  (of  whom  he  had  five)  and  many  of  his 
subjects  were  equally  unreasonable. 

Is  the  reader  fully  aware  of  the  trials  attend- 
ant on  the  Missionary  enterprise;  or  has  ho 
been  accustomed  to  view  it  as  a  work  of 
ordinarj^  difficulty?  There  are  persons  who 
wonder  that  the  Gospel  has  not  been  more 
successful  in  South  Africa,  and  who  are  dis- 
posed to  think  that  the  efforts  of  the  Chi-istian 


TIEV.  T.  L.  HODGSON.  67 

Missionary  in  that  country  have  been  all  but 
futile.  AVoulcl  they  not,  were  they  fullj^  ac- 
quainted with  the  mighty  obstacles  which  had 
in  the  first  instance  to  be  overcome,  wonder 
rather  that  the  success  has  been  so  great  ?  To 
estimate  aright  the  result  of  any  noble  enter- 
prise, we  must  know  something  of  the  difficulties 
by  which  it  was  beset.  Ponder,  then,  the  inci- 
dents related  in  this  chapter.  Think  of  all  this 
preparatory  toil  through  which  the  Missionary 
and  his  companions  had  to  pass,  ere  a  single 
effort  of  any  great  importance  could  be  made  to 
plant  the  standard  of  the  Cross.  You  will  then, 
perhaps,  be  prepared  to  judge  more  favourably 
of  the  success  which  iLltimately  cro^^Tied  his 
efforts. 


68  MEMOIR    OF    THE 


CHAPTER  V. 

Umb  an!r  litrrrars. 

Passixg  over  a  variety  of  incidents,  we  shall 
now  conduct  the  reader  to  the  Makwasse 
mountains,  where  the  Chief  Siffonello  resolved 
to  take  up  his  abode,  and  whither  Mr.  Hodg- 
son and  his  friends  accompanied  him.  As  they 
journeyed  on,  the  Chief  would  fi^equently  enter 
into  conversation,  and  ask  of  the  Missionaries 
a  variety  of  questions.  Could  they  make 
rain,  he  inquired  one  day.  He  was  answered 
in  the  negative,  and  informed  that  none  but 
God  could  make  rain.  "  And  what  is  God 
like?"  he  asked:  ''is  He  the  air?"  Of  a 
spirit  he  had  no  conception,  and  but  a  faint 
idea  of  a  future  state.  Will  our  modem  scep- 
tics say  that  he  did  not  need  the  light  of 
r,  Christianity  ? 

r"  The  Makwasse  mountains  are  situated  about 
'  south  lat.  27"^  10^  east  long.  27°.  Here,  then, 
the  Missionary  began  his  work :  here  the  import- 
ant enterprise  commenced.  A  suitable  site 
ha\dng  been  selected  for  the  Station,  prepara- 
tions were  made  for  building  a  Mission-house. 
Many  days  were  occupied  by  Mr.  Hodgson  in 
cutting  down  timber,  collecting  stones  from  the 
rocks,  digging  for  a  foundation,  and,  with  the 


RET.  T.  L.  HODGSON.  69 

help  of  the  natives,  erecting  a  dwelling :  but 
all  this  toil  he  cheerfully  endured  ;  and,  mean- 
while, he  and  his  colleague,  Mr.  Broadbent, 
endeavoured  to  instruct  the  people  in  the  ele- 
ments of  religious  truth.  During  the  week 
they  spent  several  hours  each  day  in  manual 
labour,  whilst  the  Lord's  day  was  sacredly  set 
apart  for  God,  and  employed  in  duties  strictly 
ministerial.  By  degrees,  the  habitation  was  at 
length  completed ;  and,  0,  the  joy  with  which 
the  Missionary  and  his  family,  after  residing  so 
many  months  in  a  waggon,  entered  on  the  pos- 
session of  it !  It  was  but  a  very  humble  cottage, 
but  to  them  it  seemed  almost  like  a  palace. 

The  true  character  of  Heathenism  cannot  be 
mistaken.  They  who  tallv  of  the  innocence  of 
''  the  child  of  natiu'e  "  are  mere  theorists,  who 
speak  of  what  they  are  wholly  ignorant.  Man, 
everywhere,  destitute  of  the  Gospel,  is  cruel, 
selfish,  and  without  natural  affection.  Such 
Mr.  Hodgson  found  him  in  the  interior  of 
South  Africa.  The  natives  would  sometimes 
bring  their  children  to  him,  offering  to  sell 
them  for  a  few  strings  of  beads.  One  daj- 
Siffonello  himself  came  to  the  Mission-house, 
bringing  a  boy  about  six  years  of  age,  enfeebled 
by  hunger,  whom  he  asked  the  Missionaries  to 
buy.  They  remonstrated  with  him  on  the 
cruelt}^  of  his  conduct ;  but  to  this  he  was  in- 
sensible, and  he  left  the  child  in  the  hands  of 
Mr.  Broadbent.  Many  children  had  been  sold 
by  their  friends  ;  and  thus  slavery  in  some  of 
its  very  worst  forms  was  found  to  exist  even 


70  MEMOTH    OF    THE 

amongst  those  whom  some  would  call  the  unso- 
phisticated Bechuanas. 

A  few  months  after  the  commencement  of 
the  Mission,  Mr.  Hodgson  and  his  family  went 
to  Griqua-Town  to  obtain  provisions,  leaving 
Mr.  Broadbent  in  charge  of  the  Station.  About 
this  time  (June,  1823)  occuiTed  the  famous  in- 
vasion of  the  country  by  the  Mantatees,  so 
graphically  described  by  Mr.  Moffat.  These 
marauders  were  called  originally  the  Batlokuas, 
but  they  changed  their  name  in  honour  of  a 
female  Chief  called  Mantatee.  They  appear  to 
have  come  from  the  neighbourhood  of  Dela- 
goa-Bay,  whence  they  were  driven  westward 
by  some  other  tribes  in  that  locality  who  had 
become  their  most  inveterate  foes.  Tall  and 
robust  in  stature,  and  exceedingly  fierce  in 
their  disposition  and  appearance,  they  caused 
consternation  wherever  they  approached;  so 
that,  as  the  news  of  their  depredations  spread, 
the  whole  of  the  country  from  Latakoo  to  Gri- 
qua-Town became  fearfully  excited,  and  the 
various  tribes  fled  in  ahnost  every  direction, 
hoping  to  escape,  and  to  save  themselves  from 
the  enemies'  attacks.  Mr.  Moffat,  at  the  risk 
of  his  own  life,  took  a  journey  to  Griqua-Town, 
for  the  piu-pose  of  obtaining  the  assistance  of  the 
Griquas  in  an  attempt  to  repel  the  progress  of  the 
invaders;  and,  subsequently,  the  Griquas,  armed 
with  muskets,  having  arrived  at  Latakoo,  joined 
by  the  Bechuanas,  met  the  Mantatees,  when  the 
latter  were  defeated  and  fled,  leaving  multitudes 
dead  or  dying  on  the  ground. 


IIEV.  T.   L.   nODGSOX.  71 

It  was  soon  after  this  battle  that  !Mr.  Hodg- 
son, not  knowing  what  had  taken  place,  arrived 
at  Griqua-To-sMi.  He  thus  refers  to  the  par- 
ticulars of  his  visit : — 

"July  21st. — I  reached  Griqua-Town  early 
in  the  afternoon,  and  met  with  a  most  kind  and 
welcome  recej^tion  from  our  friends  there,  who 
have  felt  much  concern  for  our  safety,  and  who 
received  us  as  those  that  were  alive  from  the 
dead.  Messrs.  Hamilton  and  ^lofflit,  as  well 
as  Mr.  Sass,  with  their  respective  families,  arc 
here,  having  deemed  it  prudent  to  return  from 
Latakoo,  where  the  Mautatees  have  been 
attacked  by  a  commando  fi^om  this  place,  con- 
sisting of  one  hundred  men  on  horseback,  armed 
with  guns.  Mr.  Melville  was  present  at  the 
battle,  and  expresses  himself  astonished  at  the 
resolute  ferociousness  of  the  enemy;  and  says 
that  the  Bechuanas  were  like  children  before 
them,  and  that  they  numbered,  of  men,  women, 
and  children,  at  least  thirty  thousand." 

But  Mr.  Hodgson  became  anxious  for  his 
colleague,  Mr.  Broadbent,  who  was  left  at 
Makwasse  without  any  means  of  escape ;  and, 
feaiing  lest  the  retreating  Mantatees  should 
fall  upon  the  Station,  and  perhaps  slaughter 
the  Missionary,  he  resolved,  with  noble  hero- 
ism, to  leave  his  wife  and  child  under  the 
charge  of  Mr.  Sass,  and  to  hasten  back  to 
Mr.  Broadbent' s  succour.  He  reached  the  spot, 
and,  to  his  great  joy,  found  Mr.  Broadbent  and 
his  family  safe,  but  in  great  danger,  as  they 
had  previously  sent  their  waggons  to  Griquu- 
G  2 


72  MEMOIR    01'    THE 

Town,  and  could  not,  therefore,  have  removed, 
had  the  enemy  approached.  Happily,  Mr. 
Broadbent  was  not  aware  of  the  perilous  cir- 
cumstances in  which  he  had  been  placed  until 
Mr.  Hodgson  arrived,  and  informed  him  of  the 
events  that  had  occurred.  Xot  unfi-equently 
is  the  Christian  kept  in  ignorance  of  the 
dangers  that  surround  him,  until  those  dangers 
pass  away.  Were  he  fully  aware  of  them  at 
the  time,  he  would  probably  be  overwhelmed 
Avith  fear ;  and,  therefore.  He  who  gave  the 
promise,  ''As  thy  days,  so  shall  thy  strength 
be,"  graciously  and  wisely  hides  them  from 
his  view. 

Of  the  terrible  results  of  the  Mantatee  in- 
vasion, the  distress  and  misery  it  entailed 
upon  the  country,  the  families  it  ruined,  and 
the  tribes  it  scattered  and  dispersed,  many 
touching  illustrations  occur  in  Mr.  Hodgson's 
Journal ;  of  which,  however,  we  can  mention 
but  the  following  : — 

''August  12th. — Upon  opening  the  door  of 
the  house  this  morning,  the  first  salutation  I 
heard  was,  'The  crows  are  eating  a  dead 
body  ! '  an  exclamation  which  proceeded  from 
two  boys  who  were  approaching  the  place 
where  the  body  lay.  I  immediately  joined 
them,  and  found  a  female  dead  upon  the 
ground,  with  one  eye  pecked  out,  and  j^art  of 
one  breast  torn  off.  She  appears  to  have  died 
in  the  night,  no  doubt  from  hunger.  I  fear 
we  are  surrounded  by  numbers  who  must 
share  the  same  fate.     Many  visit  us  who  are 


liKV.  T.  L.  HODGSON.  73 

on  the  point  of  starvation ;  and  it  is  out  of  our 
power  to  relieve  them,  as  we  cannot  obtain 
oxen  for  skiughter.  The  body  was  imme- 
diately interred. 

''August  13th. — A  party  of  Siffonello's  men 
met  with  twelve  stragglers  from  the  retreating 
enemy,  all  of  whom  they  killed.  In  this  act 
of  cruelty  they  triumphed  as  if  they  had 
caused  the  whole  body  of  the  enemy  to  flee." 

The  danger  from  the  Mautatees  being  con- 
sidered past,  ILi'.  Hodgson  went  back  to  Griqua- 
Town,  whence  he  returned  with  his  family  to 
Makwasse,  bringing  ^vith  him,  also,  Peter 
Links,  who  had  come  from  Khamiesberg  to 
assist  in  the  newly-established  Mission.  Soon 
after,  the  Rev.  E.  Edwards  was  appointed  to 
Makwasse,  and  Mr.  Hodgson  removed  to  Cape- 
Town.  Subsequently,  a  warlike  tribe,  called 
the  Bataws,  made  an  attack  upon  the  Station,  / 
destroyed  the  whole  of  the  Mission  property,  yC 
and  swept  off  large  numbers  of  Siffonello's 
cattle.  Mi\  Broadbent's  health  having  failed, 
he  was  under  the  necessity  of  returning  to 
England;  and  thus  this  Mission,  commenced 
with  so  much  toil  and  suffering,  was  for  a 
while  suspended.  Deeply  painful  was  it  to 
the  Missionaries  to  be  obliged  to  leave  a  spot 
which  had  become  endeared  to  them  by  their 
evangelistic  labours;  but  the  standard  of  the 
Cross  had  been  uplifted  amongst  the  barbarous 
Bechuanas,  and  a  deep  impression  made  upon 
their  minds  in  favour  of  the  truths  which 
they  had  heard ;  and  the  brethren  left  Mak- 
G  3 


74  MEMOIR   OF    THE 

wasse  with  the  hope  that  the  seed  which  they 
had  scattered  would  spring  up,  and  bear  some 
fruit  in  after-days.  They  had  at  least  broken 
up  the  fallow-ground  of  Heathenism  in  that 
locality,  and  prepared  the  way  for  future 
operations;  and  they  felt  assured  that  the 
Lord  Jesus,  in  whose  name  they  had  gone 
forth,  would  not  allow  their  efforts  to  be 
wholly  ineffectual. 

Nor  were  they  disappointed.  Not  to  refer 
here  to  the  results  of  their  efforts  in  a  spiritual 
point  of  view,  there  were  several  indirect 
advantages  which  the  natives  of  the  country 
reaped  fi'om  their  labours.  Some  of  these  are 
stated  in  two  deeply  interesting  papers  con- 
tributed by  Mr.  Broadbent  to  the  Wesleyan 
Magazine,  in  the  year  1850.  One  was  ''the 
discovery  of  fountains  of  water,  by  which  the 
aborigines  and  their  cattle  are  now  refreshed, 
and  lands,  long  barren,  are  irrigated  and  fer- 
tilised." "VYhen  the  Missionaries  began  to 
build  their  habitations,  and  had  already  made 
an  excavation  in  the  ground  for  clay,  it  oc- 
curred to  them  that,  by  digging  deeper,  they 
would  probably  obtain  water.  Mr.  Broadbent, 
therefore,  set  a  number  of  females,  who  had 
come  to  the  Station  in  great  distress,  to  work, 
and  they  dug  to  the  depth  of  fourteen  feet; 
when,  to  the  great  siu-prise  of  Siffoncllo  and 
his  people,  they  obtained  an  excellent  supply 
of  water.  The  Chief  could  scarcely  believe 
what  he  saw.  AVhen  Mr.  Broadbent  had 
drawn  a  bucket  of  water,  he  offered  it  to  him 


REV.  T.  L.  HODGSON.  75 

to  drink ;  ■when  he  took  it  in  his  hands,  and, 
looking  suspiciously,  iii'st  on  his  attendants, 
and  then  at  the  Missionary,  as  if  afraid  of 
being  bewitched  or  poisoned,  said,  ''Is  it  good? " 
a  question  which  he  twice  repeated.  Mr.  Broad- 
bent,  seeing  he  was  afraid  to  drink,  took  the 
bucket,  and  drank  himself,  and  then  offered  it 
to  him  again.  He  then  ventured  to  taste,  and 
the  bucket  passed  round  from  one  to  another, 
each  one  exclaiming,  as  he  drank,  ^'  How  cool ! " 
This  incident  produced  a  remarkable  effect 
upon  the  native  mind;  and  the  Missionaries 
might  have  taken  advantage  of  it,  had  they 
chosen,  to  secure  for  themselves  extraordinary 
honours.  "  '^ov^  I  am  sure,"  said  the  Chief, 
"you  have  an  acquaintance  Avith  God,  and  He 
has  told  you  this,  or  you  never  could  have 
found  it  out."  But  he  was  assured  that  if  he 
would  dig,  he  also  would  find  water ;  and  he 
did  so,  and  succeeded,  to  his  great  surprise. 

Another  of  these  incidental  benefits  to  the 
natives  was  the  introduction  of  wheat  into 
their  countiy.  On  Mr.  Hodgson's  return  from 
Griqua-to^vn  to  Makwasse,  after  the  Mantatee 
invasion,  he  halted  one  night  by  the  side  of  a 
bush,  when  a  lion  sprang  out  of  the  thicket  on 
the  oxen,  which  suddenly  turned  round,  and 
upset  the  waggon.  A  number  of  articles  were 
strewed  upon  the  ground,  amongst  which  were 
three  bushels  of  wheat  in  a  leather  sack.  During 
the  night,  a  hy?ena  fell  upon  the  sack,  and 
gnawed  the  leather,  so  that  a  considerable 
portion  of  the  wheat  was  lost.     Some  of  it, 


76  MEMOIK    OF    THE 

however,  was  preserved,  and  the  Missionaries 
tried  with  it  several  experiments,  with  a  view 
to  ascertain  whether  wheat  could  be  cultivated 
in  that  part  of  the  country.  The  results  were 
satisfactory,  and  now  wheat  is  an  article  of 
food  to  tens  of  thousands  who  previously  knew 
nothing  of  it.  The  Rev.  John  Ayliff,  who 
visited  the  Bechuanas  in  the  year  1844,  ob- 
serves : — ^'  "VYith  one  circumstance  I  was  struck, 
and  greatly  pleased ;  namely,  that  the  Dutch 
farmers,  living  near  the  Orange  E-iver,  had 
passed  out  of  the  colony  with  waggons  in  the 
Bechuana  country,  to  purchase  ivheat  of  the 
Bechuanas.  Christianity  and  civilisation  are 
steadily  pacing  through  the  land.  At  present 
there  is  peace.  Schools  and  churches  are  pros- 
pering. The  land  is  in  a  coui'se  of  being  highly 
cultivated ;  and  all  this  amongst  a  people  who, 
prior  to  the  introduction  of  Christianity,  were 
ruined  by  intestine  w^ars." 

These  two  facts  may  be  viewed  as  symbols 
of  those  spiritual  blessings  which  the  j\Iission- 
aries  were  the  instruments  of  bringing  into  the 
land.  The  opening  up  of  springs  was  indicative 
of  a  supply  of  the  water  of  eternal  life,  for 
want  of  which  the  inhabitants  were  perishing. 
'*  I  will  open  rivers  in  high  places,  and  foun- 
tains in  the  midst  of  the  valleys ;  I  will  make 
the  wilderness  a  pool  of  water,  and  the  dry 
land  springs  of  water,"  is  God's  gracious  pro- 
mise in  relation  to  the  times  of  the  Messiah; 
and  in  the  interior  of  Afiica  it  was  both  lite- 
rally and  spiritually  fulfilled.     And  what  shall 


REV.  T.  L.  HODGSON.  77 

we  say  of  the  introduction  of  wheat  ?  Was  it 
a  symbol  of  the  bestowment  of  the  bread  that 
Cometh  down  from  heaven  ?  How  many  of  the 
Eechuanas  have  since  this  period  eaten  of  the 
true  manna,  and  been  saved !  Of  the  mes- 
sengers of  peace  it  may  indeed  be  said,  ''The 
wilderness  and  the  solitaiy  place  shall  be  glad 
for  them,  and  the  desert  shall  rejoice  and 
blossom  as  the  rose." 

As  Mr.  Hodgson's  fcllow-laboui'er  at  Mak- 
wasse  retui'ncd  to  England,  and  will  not,  therefore, 
be  mentioned  again  in  immediate  connection  with 
the  Mission,  I  wiR  here  introduce  the  remarks 
with  which  he  has  favoured  me  on  the  character 
of  !Mr.  Hodgson  at  the  time  they  were  associated. 

''Fellowship  in  suffering,"  observes  Mr. 
Broadbent,  "  creates  a  sympathy  peculiar  to 
itself,  with  which  a  stranger  to  such  com- 
panionship intermeddleth  not.  It  was  my 
providential  lot  to  be  associated  with  the  Rev. 
T.  L.  Hodgson,  in  South  Africa,  at  the  com- 
mencement of  the  Wesleyan  Mission  in  the 
Bechuana  country,  in  which  we  suffered  toils 
and  privations  known  only  to  ourselves  and  the 
omniscient  One.  The  following  words  of  St. 
Paul  are  strictly  applicable  to  our  cii'cumstances 
during  the  years  1822  and  1823: — 'In  jour- 
neyings  often,  in  perils  of  waters,  .  .  in  perils 
by  the  heathen,  .  .  in  perils  in  the  wilderness ; 
in  weariness  and  painfulness,  in  watchings 
often,  in  hunger  and  thirst.'  I  sit  down  to 
sketch  a  few  traits  of  his  character  with  as 
vivid  a  recollection  of  those  circumstances  as 


78  MEilOIK    OF   THE 

though  they  were  of  yesterday,  and  under  the 
influence  of  feelings  awakened  thereby,  which 
somewhat  embarrass  me,  from  a  consciousness 
of  my  inability  to  do  justice  to  my  own  sense 
of  his  moral  worth. 

"  He  possessed,  in  an  eminent  degree,  a 
meek  and  gentle  disposition,  in  combination 
with  great  courage  and  firmness  in  the  path  of 
duty.  These  graces  were  often  called  into 
exercise,  sometimes  by  refractory  hirelings, 
and  often  by  perfidious  Heathen  ;  but  I  never 
saw  them  fail  him,  even  in  the  most  tr\iug 
circumstances.  His  prudence  and  discretion 
were  also  equal  to  his  fortitude  and  meekness. 
An  erratic  or  eccentric  man,  or  one  deficient  in 
self-possession  and  sound  judgment,  is  not  a 
suitable  person  to  go  among  a  people  like  the 
Eechuanas.  Moreover,  his  zeal,  which  was  the 
pure  flame  of  love,  no  difficulties,  disappoint- 
ments, or  delays  could  quench :  it  burnt  with 
a  constant,  steady  flame. 

"  The  principal  of  these  varied  excellencies 
was  deep,  evangelical  piety,  fed  and  sustained 
by  much  prayer,  and  close  communion  with 
God  through  the  Spirit." 

Of  the  truth  of  these  remarks  several  illus- 
trations have  alreadybeen  given,  and  others  will 
present  themselves  in  the  course  of  this  Memoir. 
How  difi'erent,  in  many  instances,  are  the  ways  of 
God  from  the  calculations  and  the  expectations 
of  man  !  The  writer  of  the  above  lines  was  the 
subject,  in  Africa,  of  severe  afiiiction,  and  was 
supposed,  at  one  time,  to  be  near  to  death  ;  yet 


^lEA^  T.  r..  iiodgsox.  79 

lie  recovered,  and  even  still  survives;  whilst 
his  then  strong  and  athletic  friend  has  already 
finished  his  career. 

As  previously  stated,  Mr.  Hodgson,  prior  to 
the  dcsti'uction  of  Makwasse  by  the  Eataws, 
was  aj)pointed  to  Cape-Town.  He  was  exceed- 
ingly reluctant  to  leave  the  Bechuanas;  but 
some  one  was  required  to  take  charge  of  that 
Mission,  and  both  the  Committee  at  home  and 
his  brethren  on  the  spot  thought  that  he  was 
the  most  suitable  individual.  '^'But  when," 
says  Mr.  Broadbent,  ''his  waggon  moved  off 
from  Makwasse,  myself  and  my  wife  sat  and 
wept  in  silence  for  a  long  time,  feeling  as  if 
we  were  suffering  a  bereavement  which  would 
leave  us  in  the  most  desolate  condition." 

To  his  brief  sojourn  in  Cape-Town  my  limits 
"will  not  permit  to  refer.  In  the  year  1824  he 
retui'ned  to  the  Bechuana  country,  and  joined 
the  Eev.  J.  Archbell  in  the  re-establishment  of 
the  Mission  which  had  been  so  inauspiciously 
broken  up.  But  the  whole  countrj'  was  in  a 
state  of  agitation,  occasioned  by  intertribal  wars, 
and  it  was  for  some  time  doubtful  whether  any 
steps  could  be  taken  towards  the  accompKsh- 
ment  of  this  desirable  object.  Mr.  Hodgson 
was  deeply  distressed  ;  and  in  his  Joiunal,  dated 
January  28th,  1825,  he  thus  gives  utterance  to 
the  emotions  of  his  breast : — ''  0,  how  I  feel 
the  painful  situation  into  which  we  are  brought ! 
To  be  restrained  from  prosecuting  our  object  is 
most  disti'essing ;  and  the  idea  of  being  obliged 
to  leave  this  country,  and  of  abandoning  the 


80  MEMOIR    or    THE 

Mission  among  the  Becliiianas,  oppresses  me 
much.  Poor  Bechuanas !  And  shall  I  be  com- 
pelled to  leave  a  people  \rith  Avhom  I  trusted 
to  live,  and  among  whom  I  could  almost  Tvish 
to  die?" 

What  noble  sentiments  are  these !  All  the 
suffering  which  the  Missionary  had  experienced 
had  not  tended  in  the  least  to  cool  the  ardour 
of  his  zeal.  His  heart  was  still  set  on  the 
evangelisation  of  this  degraded  race ;  and  thus, 
when  the  prospect  is  beclouded,  and  his  che- 
rished plans  seem  on  the  eve  of  failure,  does 
he  lament  over  them,  even  as  a  parent  for  his 
children. 

In  the  month  of  July,  Mr.  Hodgson  found 
Siffonello,  who,  since  the  attack  of  the  Eataws 
on  the  Station,  had  been  leading  a  roaming  and 
unsettled  life,  in  a  state  of  great  distress.  'Not 
only  had  the  hostile  tribes  risen  up  against 
him,  but  even  the  Griquas  had  taken  advantage 
of  his  circumstances.  They  had  heard,  or  they 
pretended  to  have  heard,  that  he  himself  had 
destroyed  the  Mission  property;  and  for  this 
alleged  act,  of  which  he  was  entirely  guiltless, 
had  made  him  pay  a  fine  of  six  hundred  head 
of  cattle.  To  Mr.  Hodgson  this  circumstance 
was  the  source  of  much  grief.  He  could  not 
boar  to  see  even  a  Heathen  suffer  ^vrongfiilly ; 
and,  having  obtained  the  clearest  evidence  of 
Siffonello' s  innocence,  he  laid  the  case  before  Sir 
Andreas  Stockenstrom,  and  requested  that  the 
grievance  might  be  properly  redressed.  His 
eif\7rts  were,  to  some  extent,  successful ;  for  the 


REV.   T.   L.   IIODGSOX.  81 

character  of  the  Chief  was  vindicated,  and 
part,  at  least,  of  the  cattle  were  returned. 

Siffonello  promised  to  return  to  Makwasse ; 
and  thither  Mr.  Hodgson  accompanied  him, 
wdth  the  hope  of  being  able  to  re-commence 
the  Mission.  A\Tiat  a  scene  presented  itself  on 
his  arrival  at  the  spot !  Here  were  the  ruins 
of  the  habitations  which  he  and  his  colleague 
had  erected; — portions  of  furniture  scattered 
about  the  place,  a  remnant  of  Dr.  Clarke's 
"  Commentary,"  part  of  the  "  Encyclopaedia 
Britannica,"  and  several  other  valuable  works, 
so  far  destroyed  as  to  be  altogether  useless. 
The  heart  of  the  Missionary  was  sad  enough ; 
yet  he  set  to  work  to  erect  another  house ;  and 
on  Sunday,  September  25th,  he  held,  with 
great  comfort,  a  religious  service  in  his  new 
habitation. 

But  other  trials  yet  awaited  him.  Siffonello 
and  his  people,  having  attacked  their  enemies 
and  suffered  a  defeat,  resolved  to  leave  the 
neighbourhood  immediately;  and  Mr.  Hodgson, 
unable  to  dissuade  them  from  their  j)lans,  had 
the  sad  mortification  of  witnessing  their  de- 
parture. We  will  give  the  story  in  his  own 
words. 

"  Thui'sday,  September  29th. — Early  this 
morning  all  the  people  were  in  motion,  and 
we  had  now  the  painful  feeling  of  seeing  them, 
under  their  respective  Chiefs,  quit  their  habita- 
tions and  their  lands,  together  with  the  galling 
reflection  that  in  a  few  hours  we  must  bend 
our  course  in  the  same   direction,   and  leave 

H 


82  MEMOIR    OF    XnE 

Makwasse,  perhaps  to  retimi  to  it  no  more. 
After  eight  weeks'  hard  labour,  during  which 
time  we  had  completed  two  comfortable  rooms, 
four  j^ards  square  inside,  and  nearly  enclosed 
ground  for  a  large  garden,  in  which  two  wells 
were  dug,  seed  was  sown,  &c., — when  we  were 
in  expectation  of  enjoj-ing  some  family  com- 
forts, and  of  having  opportunities  of  studpng 
the  language,  with  a  view  to  the  spiiitual 
benefit  of  the  people, — it  is,  indeed,  a  painful 
dispensation  to  be  obliged  to  leave :  but,  as  it 
is,  we  have  no  prospect  of  continuing  the 
Mission  here." 

Again,  then,  it  was  the  lot  of  this  devoted 
servant  of  Christ  to  make  his  waggon  his 
house,  and  to  wander  about  in  a  wild  and 
trackless  country,  until  it  should  please  the 
people  to  fix  on  some  pennanent  abode.  But 
all  this  he  patiently  endured,  for  the  sake  of 
the  great  object  he  was  anxious  to  promote, 
and,  generally,  his  mind  was  kept  in  great  peace. 
He  availed  himself  of  eveiy  opportunity,  even 
in  his  wanderings,  of  proclaiming  to  the  people 
the  message  of  salvation ;  until,  at  length,  a 
place  was  found,  which  was  deemed  suitable  as 
a  site  for  a  Mission-station,  and  which  the 
Chief,  Siffonello,  agreed  to  fix  upon  as  a  home. 
Here  Mr.  Hodgson,  together  with  his  col- 
league, Mr.  Archbell,  began,  therefore,  to  build 
a  habitation,  and  afterwards  to  erect  a  house 
for  God.  The  place  was  called  Plaatberg, 
from  a.  flat  mountain  adjoining  it;  but  by  the 
natives  it  was  designated  Motlhina  Pike,   or 


REV.   T.  L.  nODGSOX.  83 

the  Jaw-bone  of  a  wild  horse,  which  was  the  first 
article  found  by  the  Chief,  near  the  fountain, 
when  he  went  to  inspect  it.  And  now  a  school 
was  commenced,  the  printing-press  brought 
into  operation,  regular  religious  services  estab- 
lished, and  every  effort  put  forth  which  was 
practicable  to  promote  the  welfare  of  this  bar- 
barous people.  But  a  considerable  length  of 
time  elapsed  ere  any  fruit  appeared  in  their 
conversion,  and  the  faith  and  patience  of  the 
Missionaries  were  severely  tried.  The  Bechu- 
anas  were  a  most  ignorant  and  degraded  race,  y 
Like  the  Kaffirs,  whom,  in  many  respects,  they 
much  resemble,  they  had  no  gods,  and  no 
temples;  but  they  were  highly  superstitious, 
and  were  addicted  to  the  most  vile  and  abomin- 
able practices.  Siffonello  himself  professed  to 
be  a  rain-maker;  and  on  one  occasion,  when 
rain  had  fallen  after  a  long  drought,  he  con- 
tended with  Mr.  Hodgson  that  he  had  brought 
it.  The  following  extract  from  Mr.  Hodgson's 
Jouraal  furnishes  an  illustration  of  their  ignor- 
ance and  folly : — 

"  December  29th. — Siffonello,  with  the  rain- 
maker, (another  of  the  profession,)  and  several 
children,  went  in  procession  to  the  river.  There 
they  washed  a  sheep  in  the  water,  plunged  into 
it  themselves,  and  then  returned  home  ^vith  a 
little  water  in  vessels,  the  children  singing  all 
the  way.  At  the  village  the  water  was  made 
warm,  when  Siffonello  asked  the  gii'ls,  '  Who 
has  a  desire  to  make  rain?'  One  of  the  girls 
answered,  '  I ;'  upon  which  the  rain-maker 
n  2 


H 


84  MEMOIR   OF   THE 

dipped  a  cow's  tail  into  the  water,  and  sprinkled 
her  with  it.  The  Chief  then  inquii-ed,  '  Who 
l^limged  into  the  river  first  ?'  and  the  same 
girl  answering,  '  I,'  was  again  sprinkled  with 
water.  After  this  the  rain-maker  threw  water 
into  the  air,  calling  for  the  rain ;  and  then  the 
children  were  dismissed." 

Such  is  Heathenism  as  it  exists  among  the 
Bechuanas.  Is  it  surprising  that  minds  under 
the  influence  of  a  system  so  degrading  do  not 
readily  receive  the  Gospel?  Yet  the  promise 
is,  "  My  word  shall  not  return  unto  Me  void;" 
and  though  for  a  time  the  Missionaries  seemed 
to  stand  up  merely  as  witnesses  for  the  truth, 
they  were  at  length  cheered  by  manifest  tokens 
of  success,  and  Plaatberg  became  the  birth- 
place of  many  an  immortal  soul.  After 
Mr.  Hodgson  left  the  country,  the  station  was 
removed  to  another  locality,  several  miles  to 
the  east,  where,  notwithstanding  numerous 
wars,  which  have  threatened  its  destruction,  it 
continued  to  be  the  scene  of  some  of  the  most 
successful  Missionary  operations  in  the  interior 
of  South  Africa.  The  Eev.  T.  Arbousset,  of 
the  Paris  Missionary  Society,  who  visited  it  a 
few  years  since,  observes  :  *'  The  station  num- 
ers  two  hundred  inhabitants,  who,  thanks  to 
the  strictness  of  the  Weslej^an  discipline,  and 
to  the  zeal  and  energy  of  theu^  spiritual  in- 
structer,  have  made  no  small  progress  in  the 
Christian  life.  It  presents  a  religious  asj)ect 
much  more  satisfactory  than  many  a  village  in 
Europe.     The  day  of  rest  is,  generally  speak- 


KKV.    T.    L.    HODGSON.  85 

ing,  well  observed;  the  attendance  on  the 
sanctuary  is  numerous,  and  the  people  are 
attentive  and  devotional.  Oftener  than  once 
have  we  been  sui-prised  and  refreshed  by 
hearing  the  more  advanced  members  of  the 
chni'ch  sj)eak  of  their  spiritual  feelings  with 
that  simplicity  which  is  so  characteristic  of 
Pagan  converts :  '  I  am  a  dull  fellow :  I  un- 
derstand but  very  little  of  these  holy  truths. 
I  have  only  a  little  love  to  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ.'  Such  is  the  simple  way  in  which 
they  express  themselves  in  conversation,  whe- 
ther with  one  another  or  with,  strangers." 

More  recently  Plaatberg  has  been  subject  ■ 
to  great  alarms.  "AYe  have,  as  a  family," 
writes  the  Eev.  E,.  Giddy,  from  Plaatberg,  to 
the  Missionary  Committee,  October  13th,  1852, 
"  been  placed  in  very  great  danger ;  but  a  kind 
and  gracious  Providence  has  continually 
watched  over  us.  We  have  suffered  in  many 
ways  ;  but  we  have  not  sustained  any  personal 
injury.  My  most  ardent  wish  is,  that  we  may 
have  peace,  so  that  we  could  resume  our  work 
with  vigour ;  but  war  is  the  curse  and  bane  of 
»Southern  Africa.  AVe  commence  a  station, 
gather  together  a  body  of  people,  build  a 
chapel,  God  blesses  our  work,  souls  are  con- 
verted, a  Society  is  formed,  and  we  would  fain 
hope  that  all  would  go  on  and  prosper ;  when 
a  dire  and  ruthless  war  between  the  different 
tribes  scatters  our  people,  destroys  that  which 
it  took  years  to  accomplish,  and  involves  all  in 
unutterable  confusion.     This  is  the  case  with 

il  o 


A 


86  MEXOIR   OF   THE 

Plaatbeig.  We  had  here  a  Society  of  nearly 
two  hundred  members,  a  day-school,  a  Sab- 
bath-school, and  a  sewing-school;  we  had 
some  twelve  Native  Class-Leaders,  and  a 
number  of  efficient  Native  Sabbath-school 
Teachers ;  everything  was  going  on  well,  and 
we  were  looking  forward  to  still  brighter 
days,  and  planning  more  efficient  and  extensive 
operations  on  the  surrounding  villages,  when 
the  war  burst  out ;  and  in  one  day  the  whole 
of  our  people,  with  the  exception  of  one  that 
was  sick,  fled  from  before  their  more  powerful 
neighbours.  Since  that,  the  war  has  raged  so 
violently,  that  they  have  not  been  able  to 
return  mthout  incurring  the  risk  of  utter 
destruction.  They  are  encamped  near  the 
Modder  River ;  and  I  feel  happy  that  they  are 
sufficiently  near  to  our  stations,  Thaba-Unchu 
and  Bloem-Fontein,  to  benefit  by  the  \T.sits  of 
the  brethren  who  are  stationed  at  those  places. 
They  are  looking  to  the  British  Government 
for  that  protection,  and  just  consideration  of 
their  circumstances,  which  the  Government 
promised  them,  and  to  which,  as  allies  of  the 
British,  they  have  an  undoubted  claim."* 

Let  the  reader  of  this  narrative  offer  up  his 
fervent  prayer  on  behalf  of  that  distracted 
land;  and,  in  memory  of  those  who,  amidst 
60  much  toil,  suffering,  and  privation,  there 
commenced  the  Missionary  entei'prise,  but  are 
now   gathered   to  their  rest,    let  him  offer  of 

*  Report  of  the  Weeleyan  Missionary  Society,  1853. 


EEV.  T.  L.  HODGSON.  87 

his  substance  to  the  Lord,  that  the  work  may 
still  be  carried  on.  There  are  still  grounds 
for  encouragement  and  hope.  Through  the 
dense  dark  cloud  the  light  occasionally  breaks ; 
and  even  Africa,  barbarous  and  warlike  as  it 
is,  shall  one  day  be  evangelized  and  saved.-^ 


*  It  may  be  well  to  observe,  that  it  is  this  portion  of 
South.  Africa  which  is  called  "  the  Orange  River  Sove- 
reignty," and  which  was  placed,  by  Sir  II.  Smith,  under 
the  protection  of  the  British  Crown.  It  is  now  proposed 
to  abandon  this  territory,  and  to  permit  the  Dutch  Boers, 
who  reside  here  in  large  numbers,  to  form  an  independ- 
ent government !  For  the  honour  of  the  British  name, 
it  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  measure  will,  on  no  account,  be 
adopted ;  for,  if  it  be,  the  native  population  of  the  country 
will  be  exposed  to  violence  and  injustice,  and  the  work  of 
Christian  Missions,  to  a  great  extent,  if  not  wholly,  frus- 
trated. 


88  MEMOIR   OF    THE 


CHAPTER  VI. 

"  There  is  something  more  reqiiii^ed  in  a 
^lissionaiy,"  says  the  late  Melville  Home,  in 
his  admirable  Letters  on  Missions,  "  than  cold 
approbation,  or  that  general  disposition  to  do 
the  will  of  God,  which  influences  eveiy  pious 
man.  ^Ye  look  for  a  strong,  decided  predilec- 
tion,— ajMssion  for  Missions,  if  I  may  be  allowed 
the  tenn;  that  species  of  commendable  enthu- 
siasm which  enables  professional  men  to 
magnify  the  dignity  and  importance  of  their 
respective  arts,  and  to  pursue  their  object  under 
every  discouragement,  until  they  have  carried 
their  art  to  a  perfection  which  men  of  colder 
minds  could  never  have  supposed  it  capable  of 
receiving." 

Such  a  passion  for  Missions  had  Thomas 
Laidman  Hodgson.  Nothing  less  than  this 
would  have  enabled  him  to  sustain,  with  so 
much  fortitude,  the  difficulties  of  his  enterprise, 
or  have  induced  him  to  persevere  in  it  amidst 
so  many  discouragements.  He  was  the  subject 
of  an  ardent  zeal,  which  no  hardship  that  he 
met  with  could  either  quench  or  cool. 

At  Plaatbcrg  he  was  called  to  sustain  the 
loss  of  his  only  cliild    a  little  daughter,  who, 


EEV.  T.  L.  nODGSON.  89 

by  her  engaging  manners,  had  greatly  endeared 
herself  to  her  parents,  and  whose  innocent 
conversation  beguiled  many  a  tedious  hour  in 
the  wilderness.  To  Mr.  Hodgson  and  his  de- 
voted "^Tife  this  was  a  most  painful  stroke ;  and 
what  made  it  more  distressing  was,  that  Mr. 
Archbell  and  his  family  had  gone  to  Griqua- 
Town  but  a  few  days  before,  so  that  they  had 
none  but  natives  around  them  to  render  them 
any  aid.  They  themselves  watched  over  the 
child  in  her  sickness,  closed  her  eyes  in  death, 
laid  her  in  her  coffin,  and  committed  her  to  the 
dust.     Thus  Mr.  Hodgson  writes  : — 

''l^ovember  22d,  1826.— In  the  afternoon  of 
this  day  we  took  a  last  look  of  the  cold  remains 
of  our  girl;  and  I  had  the  painful  task  of 
screwing  down  the  coffin,  (a  box,  upon  which 
she  had  often  sat,  while  travelling  in  the 
waggon,)  carrying  it  to  the  grave,  adjusting  it 
there,  and  performing,  in  every  respect,  the 
part  of  the  sexton.  The  scene  was  more  painful 
than  any  which  I  had  before  exj)erienced ;  but 
the  grace  of  God  enabled  me  to  pass  through 
it  without  repining,  though  not  without  the 
feelings  which  a  fond  parent  may  be  supposed 
to  experience  on  being  deprived  of  an  only 
child." 

Ah  !  ye  bereaved  parents !  deep  as  is  yoiu' 
sorrow,  your  cup  has  not  been  mingled  with 
ingredients  such  as  these.  It  is  distressing  to 
lose  yoiu'  children  under  any  circumstances : 
but  what  must  it  be  to  lose  an  only  child  under 
circumstances  such  as  are  here  described  ?   Yet 


90  MEilOIR   or   THE 

we  sec  that  Divine  grace  was  sufficient  to 
sustain  the  minds  of  Christ's  servants,  even 
under  such  a  trial ;  for  both  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Hodgson  were  enabled  to  bow  with  meek  sub- 
mission to  the  painful  sti'oke. 

And  now  Mr.  Hodgson  contemplated  the 
commencement  of  another  important  ^Mission. 
The  Griquas,  to  whom  reference  has  already- 
been  made,  were  divided  into  several  clans, 
some  of  which  were  residing  in  the  immediate 
neighbourhood  of  the  Bechuanas.  At  Bootchap, 
(or  Buchuaap,)  a  \411age  about  fifty  miles  west 
of  Plaatberg,  there  lived  a  Griqua  Chief,  of  the 
name  of  Barend  Barends,  whose  people  were, 
at  this  time,  wholly  destitute  of  religious  in- 
struction, and  who  himself  applied  to  Mr. 
Hodgson,  and  invited  him  to  go  and  take  them 
under  his  pastoral  and  ministerial  care.  With 
the  full  consent  of  the  Missionaries  of  the 
London  Society,  before  whom  he  laid  the  case, 
Mr.  Hodgson  resolved  to  undertake  the  task; 
Mr.  Archbell  agreeing  to  remain  at  Plaatberg. 

But  before  going  to  Bootchap,  he  and  Mrs. 
Hodgson  took  a  journey  to  Graham' s-Town,  for 
the  piu'pose  of  obtaining  the  necessary  stores. 
Here  they  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting  with 
the  Bev.  W.  Shaw  and  family,  and  of  holding 
Christian  fellowship  with  the  members  of  the 
church.  After  a  life  of  so  much  privation, 
this  was  most  refreshing  to  their  spirits ;  and 
Mr.  Hodgson  experienced  considerable  satisfac- 
tion, especially  in  ministering,  several  times,  to 
an  English  congregation.      Having  piu'chased 


liKV.    T.    L.    HODGSON.  91 

such  articles  as  were  requisite,  he  bade  fare- 
well to  his  friends  in  Graham's-Town,  and  took 
his  departure  for  the  intended  Station,  with 
fresh  resolutions  of  fidelity  and  zeal.  The 
journey  was  a  tedious  one;  but  he  and  his 
excellent  wife  had  become  inured  to  the  diffi- 
culties of  travelling,  and  in  a  few  w^eeks  they 
reached  Plaatberg  in  safet}^  where  they  learned 
that  the  Chief  Sitfonello  had  died  but  a  little 
time  before,  leaving  his  brother  Moroko  regent 
during  the  minority  of  Sitalo,  the  rightful  heii* 
to  the  government  of  the  tribe. 

They  soon  entered  on  their  new  sphere  at 
Bootchap.  Here  they  had  engaged  a  native 
hut,  and  expected  that  on  their  arrival  it 
would  be  ready  for  them  to  occupy;  but,  in- 
stead of  this,  it  was  inhabited  by  a  Griqua, 
A\dth  a  numerous  family,  whose  filthy  skin- 
karosses  were  scattered  about  the  floor,  render- 
ing the  place  unfit  to  enter.  Who  can  wonder 
that  Mrs.  Hodgson  wejDt  ?  The  noble-minded 
woman  had  long  endured  privations  of  no  ordi- 
naiy  kind ;  and  it  was  hard  work  to  be  thus 
disappointed  of  a  residence,  and  to  be  obliged, 
as  she  feared,  to  live  in  a  waggon  several  weeks 
longer.  But  both  she  and  her  husband  rose 
above  the  trial;  and  the  hut  was,  ere  long, 
cleared  and  occupied.  It  must  have  been  a 
very  comfortless  affair,  however ;  for  it  con- 
sisted of  but  one  apartment,  and  had  neither 
window  nor  chimney.  Yet  it  was  better  than 
the  waggon,  or  the  open  air ;  and  the  Mission- 
ary and  his  wife  were  thankful  to  obtain  it. 


92  MEMoin  or  the 

An  artisan  having  arrived  from  Graham' s- 
Town  to  assist  him,  Mr.  Hodgson  began  again 
to  build ;  and,  after  several  weeks,  like  David 
Brainerd  among  the  Indians  of  America,  he 
got  into  his  house.  He  was,  however,  a  little 
better  off  than  Brainerd ;  for  Brainerd  says, 
after  taking  possession  of  his  hut,  "I  am  now 
quite  alone :  no  friend  to  communicate  my 
sorrows  to,  or  take  sweet  counsel  together;" 
whereas  Mr.  Hodgson  had  a  beloved  wife,  the 
willing  sharer  of  his  burdens,  and  the  sweetener 
of  his  toils.  It  would  have  been  better,  per- 
haps,  for  Brainerd,  had  the  noble-minded  Miss 
Edwards,  who  watched  over  him  in  his  last 
illness,  who  died  soon  after  him,  and  who  was 
buried  by  his  side,  been  his  companion  in  the 
wilderness.  Would  not  the  tone  of  his  piety, 
in  that  case,  have  been  more  cheerful  ? 

And  now,  for  the  first  time,  the  holy  Sabbath 
was  observed  by  the  inhabitants  of  this  village, 
a  school  commenced  for  the  instruction  of  the 
young,  and  the  message  of  mercy  regularly 
proclaimed.  The  Missionary  did  not  begin  his 
laboui's,  as  did  the  fii^st  ]\Ioravian  Missionaries 
in  Greenland,  by  discoursing  to  the  people  on 
the  attributes  of  God.  He  told  them  of  the 
love  of  Christ ;  of  His  sufferings  and  His 
death;  of  His  resurrection,  ascension,  and  in- 
tercession with  the  Father  ;  and  of  the  blessings 
which  had  thus  been  pui'chased  for  mankind. 
He  addressed  the  people  as  sinners,  and  endea- 
voured to  show  them  the  sinfulness  of  sin ; 
but  he  told  them,  also,  how  sin  might  be  for- 


REV.  T.  L.  HODGSON.  93 

given,  and  how  God  was  waiting  to  receive  the 
penitent,  to  admit  him  into  His  lamily,  and  to 
constitnte  him  an  heir  of  heaven.  Nor  was  it 
found  that  these  topics  were  above  their  com- 
prehension. On  the  contrary,  while  they  lis- 
tened with  astonishment,  they  listened  with 
dehght ;  and  it  was  not  long  ere  signs  began  to 
manifest  themselves  that  light  was  penetrating 
the  benighted  mind,  that  conscience  was  at 
work,  and  that  God  was  blessing  the  efforts  of 
His  servant  on  behalf  of  the  benighted  sons  of 
Africa. 

Sometimes  individuals  were  deeply  wrought 
upon  under  the  ministry  of  the  word,  and, 
feeling  that  they  were  sinners,  wept  aloud. 
At  other  times  persons  came,  after  the  public 
service,  to  the  Missionary  or  his  TVT-fe,  in  deep 
distress,  asking  what  they  must  do  to  be  saved ; 
while  others,  in  a  similar  state  of  mind,  would 
retire  into  the  bush,  there  to  plead  with  God 
for  the  pardon  of  which  they  felt  their  need. 
A  class  was  formed,  which  soon  numbered  from 
twelve  to  twenty  members,  respecting  whom 
there  was  reason  to  believe  that  they  were 
earnest  seekers  of  salvation.  Of  these,  the 
greater  part,  if  not  the  whole,  were  ultimately 
admitted  into  the  Christian  church  by  the 
solemn  rite  of  baptism. 

The  following  incidents  are  worthy  of  in- 
sertion, as  illustrations  of  some  of  the  statements 
now  made : — 

''April  21st,  1829.— Greet  Bergomen  (a 
female,  so  called)  visited  me  this  morning,  to 

I 


-^- 


94  MEMOIK    OF    THE 

relate  how  the  Lord  had  blessed  her  soul.  8he 
has  been  long  under  a  gra(;ioiis  concem  for 
salvation,  and  deeply  humbled  by  a  sense  of 
her  sinful  and  dangerous  condition;  but,  for 
some  time,  obtained  no  lasting  comfort.  Yes- 
terday she  was  powerfully  affected  in  the  class, 
and,  dui'ing  the  night,  was  brought  into  a 
state  of  extreme  distress.  She  heard  the 
IBechuanas  dancing  and  singing ;  and  she 
thought  within  herself,  '  How  is  it  they  can 
thus  serve  the  devil,  while  I  have  no  pleasure 
in  attempting  to  serve  God?'  She  felt  herself 
as  if  in  midnight  darkness,  utterly  destitute  of 
anything  that  was  good,  and  wholly  without 
power  to  help  herself.  She  saw,  too,  that  she 
was  unfit  to  appear  in  the  presence  of  God; 
and,  from  the  number  and  magnitude  of  her 
sins,  she  dreaded  death.  This  morning,  how- 
ever, while  engaged  in  prayer  at  the  first  cock- 
crow, she  felt  access  to  God — the  cloud  broke ; 
she  felt  that  Jesus  was  her  Saviour ;  the  fear 
of  death  was  taken  away ;  and  she  had  peace, 
a  peace  which  Avas  accompanied,  not  so  much 
with  ecstatic  joy,  as  v^dth  deep  reverential  awe. 
She  now  feels  that  she  cannot  be  sufficiently 
thankful  to  God,  and  praise  sits  upon  her  lips." 
''June  16th. — After  the  prayer-meeting,  three 
women  came  to  speak  with  me  respecting  their 
spiritual  state.  Two  of  them  were  much  con- 
cerned, and  the  other  (a  believer)  seemed  to 
feel  the  narrowness  of  her  heart  to  receive  the 
unbounded  love  of  God.  One  observed  that 
she  felt  herself  as  if  built  into  a  Avail,  from 


REV.  T.  L.  HODGSON.  95 

which  there  appeared  no  way  of  escape ;  and 
the  other  regretted  that  she  could  not  feel  so 
much  concern  about  her  salvation  as  she  saw 
was  necessary." 

"July  5th  (Sunday). — After  the  usual  ser- 
vices of  the  day,  we  were  much  gratified  to 
hear  several  of  the  boys  engaged  together  in 
singing  and  prayer  in  the  school-room,  while 
some  of  the  elder  girls  were  so  employed  in 
one  of  the  people's  houses.  This  method  of 
employing  the  Sabbath  evening  arose  entirely 
fi'om  themselves." 

"  July  8th. — Last  night's  prayer-meeting  was 
foimd  profitable  to  many.  The  wife  of  William 
Rapitain  was  much  affected,  and  cried  aloud  in 
the  disquietude  of  her  soul ;  but  this  morning 
she  came  to  say  that  the  Lord  had  manifested 
Himself  to  her  while  at  private  prayer,  and 
that  she  felt  that  all  condemnation  was  re- 
moved." 

Such  were  some  of  the  gracious  results  of 
Mr.  Hodgson's  labours.  And  now,  doubtless, 
he  was  rewarded  for  his  patient  toil.  To  see 
the  penitential  tear,  and  to  hear  the  penitential 
sigh,  is  ever,  to  the  faithful  Minister  of  Christ, 
a  source  of  joy;  but  it  is  specially  so  in  a 
heathen  land,  and  amidst  a  people  who  have 
been  long  imder  the  bondage  of  superstition. 
For,  when  a  Minister  enters  on  such  a  field  of 
labour,  he  enters  a  valley  fall  of  dry  bones; 
and  he  asks,  as  he  surveys  the  scene,  ''  Can 
these  dry  bones  live  ?"  "VYhat,  then,  must  be 
his  emotions,  as  he  sees,  if  not  the  whole  vallev 

i2 


96  MEMOIR   OF   THE 

become  instinct  with  life,  yet  a  few  raised  up 
from  the  death  of  sin,  and  animated  with  the 
spirit  of  Christ  Jesus  the  Lord  ?  He  is  encour- 
aged ;  he  is  satisfied  that  his  labours  are  not 
wholly  useless ;  and  his  faith  in  the  efficacy  of 
the  Gospel,  as  the  grand  instrument  of  the 
world's  regeneration,  is  sti'engthened  and  con- 
firmed. So  was  it  with  Mr.  Hodgson.  Ex- 
pressions frequently  occur  in  his  Journals 
which  indicate  that,  at  Bootchap,  he  was  often 
filled  with  joy  at  the  sight  of  penitents  weeping 
at  the  cross,  and  of  believers  exulting  in  the 
consciousness  of  pardon.  He  saw  that  Chris- 
tianity was  adapted  to  the  wants  of  Griquas 
and  Bechuanas,  barbarous  as  they  were,  as  well 
as  to  those  of  the  most  civilised  of  mankind. 
He  preached  it,  therefore,  with  the  greatest 
confidence.  Whether  any  other  means  were 
necessary,  or  any  other  system  was  required  to 
effect  a  moral  change  in  the  inhabitants  of 
South  Africa,  he  never  for  a  moment  stopped 
to  ask ;  but,  like  the  great  Apostle  of  the 
Gentiles,  he  proclaimed  Christ  crucified, — to 
some,  indeed,  a  stumbling-block,  and  to  others 
foolishness,  but  to  all  that  believed,  Corannas, 
Griquas,  or  Bechuanas,  Christ  the  power  of 
God  and  the  wisdom  of  God. 

One  event  of  a  most  gratifj^ing  nature  was 
the  conversion  of  the  nephew  of  the  Chief, 
referred  to  in  the  foUo-^dng  extracts : — 

"August  3d,  1829. — I  visited  BarendBarends, 
who  has  been  for  some  weeks  ill,  and  was 
gratified  to  find  that  he  had  been  awakened  to 


BEV.  T.  L.  nODGSOX.  97 

a  sense  of  his  condition  as  a  sinner.  He  is, 
however,  quite  deaf;  and  it  is  with  difficulty 
that  we  can  understand  what  he  says,  his  voice 
being  nearly  gone.  When  I  entered  his  dwell- 
ing, his  uncle,  the  Chief,  was  sitting  on  the 
ground,  near  him,  endeavouring,  by  signs,  to 
direct  his  thoughts  to  Christ.  Before  praj-ing 
for  him,  we  sang  a  hymn,  strikingly  descriptive 
of  the  love  of  God  to  sinners  in  the  gift  of 
Jesus  Christ,  and  which  he  endeavoured  to  read 
while  we  sang.  At  prayer,  though  he  heard 
nothing  that  was  said,  he  manifested  great 
anxiety ;  and,  as  he  had  learned  to  read  the 
New  Testament  since  we  came  here,  the  book 
he  had  used  at  school  was  brought,  that,  when 
he  was  able,  he  might  read  such  portions  as 
were  suitable  to  his  state  of  mind.  He  appeared 
engaged  in  prayer  the  whole  of  the  day,  fre- 
quently uttering  the  penitent's  cry,  '  God  be 
merciful  to  me  a  sinner.'  When  able,  he 
warned  the  children  of  the  school  not  to  leave 
the  concerns  of  their  souls  to  a  deathbed ;  and 
said  that  he  would  pray  till  the  sun  went 
do"^Ti. 

''August  4th. — I  was  called  up  at  the  fii'st 
cockcrow  to  see  Barend  Barends,  who  was 
thought  to  be  dying ;  but  he  revived  again  after 
struggling  some  time  with  violent  pain.  After 
breakfast  Mr.  Rapitain,  the  assistant,  visited 
him  again,  and  prayed  for  him.  He  sat  up 
while  we  prayed,  and  appeared  anxious  to  join 
in  our  petitions.  After  lea^-ing  him,  his  uncle 
followed  us  to  say  that  Barend  had  received 
i3 


98  MEMOIR   OF    THE 

some  comfort,  and  had  expressed  his  confi- 
dence that  his  way  was  open,  and  that  he 
hoped  his  sins  were  pardoned.  In  the  course 
of  the  forenoon  he  sent  his  respects  to  me ; 
which  induced  me  again  to  visit  him,  accom- 
panied by  Mr.  Eapitain.  Whilst  at  prayer  he 
recovered  his  hearing  and  his  voice  to  a  con- 
siderable degree,  joined  most  heartily  in  the 
petitions,  and  said  with  confidence,  '  Jesus  is 
my  Saviour ;  my  sins  are  forgiven ;  I  shall  go 
to  heaven.'  After  this  he  addressed  his  friends, 
and  said  that  he  should  now  leave  them,  as  he 
had  found  the  Lord  ;  and  calling  his  sister,  he 
exhorted  her  to  seek  the  Saviour  while  she 
was  in  health." 

"August  5th. — I  was  awoke  betwixt  four 
and  five  o'clock  by  the  cry  of  those  in  distress, 
and  repairing  to  the  house  of  Barend,  found 
that  he  was  dead.  The  Chief  was  endeavour- 
ing to  reconcile  Barend' s  wife  (to  whom  he 
had  been  married  nine  months)  to  the  painful 
bereavement,  by  those  consolations  which  reli- 
gion alone  presents." 

How  gratifying  is  this  narrative !  what  a 
proof  does  it  fui-nish  of  the  power  and  value  of 
the  Gospel !  Here  is  a  young  man,  but  lately 
ignorant  of  the  first  principles  of  religion,  a  hea- 
then, and  addicted  to  many  heathen  practices, 
who,  receiving  light  through  the  ministry  of 
the  truth,  seeks  on  his  deathbed,  and  at  length 
obtains,  "  the  favour  and  the  grace  of  God  ;" 
and,  dying,  leaves  a  testimony  behind  him  of 
his  assurance  of  eternal  life. 


EEV.  T.  L.  nODGSON.  99 

The  Christian  sacraments  are  eminently 
calculated  to  produce  on  the  minds  of  such  a 
people  as  those  among  whom  Mr.  Hodgson 
laboured  the  most  beneficial  results.  That  of 
baptism,  as  administered  to  adults,  is  soon  under- 
stood as  the  sign  of  admission  into  the  Chris- 
tian church,  and  that  of  the  Lord's  supper,  as 
setting  forth  the  death  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
as  the  great  atonement  for  the  sins  of  the 
"world.  Both  these  solemn  rites  were,  there- 
fore, introduced  at  Bootchap;  and,  from  time 
to  time,  persons  of  mature  age,  having  given 
satisfactory  evidence  of  the  sincerity  of  their 
repentance,  were  baptized,  and  afterwards  ad- 
mitted to  the  table  of  the  Lord.  Children  too 
were  brought  to  the  baptismal  font,  and  dedi- 
cated, by  their  Christian  parents,  to  the  Lord ; 
and  Mr.  Hodgson  had  the  satisfaction  of  re- 
ceiving many  into  the  visible  chui'ch  of  Christ, 
respecting  whom  he  could  indulge  the  liveliest 
hopes  of  their  ultimate  salvation.  On  one  occa- 
sion he  thus  writes  : — 

^'  Sunday,  JM'ovember  8th. — I  baptized  the 
children  of  five  of  the  members  of  the  Society, 
and  in  the  evening  administered  the  sacra- 
ment of  the  Lord's  supper  to  thirteen  persons, 
by  all  of  whom,  it  was  found,  I  believe,  a 
season  of  peculiar  profit.  A  solemn  sense  of 
the  Divine  presence  was  felt  among  us.  One 
person  declined  to  receive  the  elements,  (though 
she  was  present  with  us,)  from  a  consciousness 
of  being  unfit  to  approach  the  Lord's  table  ; 
and  another  I  excluded,  finding  that  she  had 


100  MEMOIR   OF    TUE 

iiii     unchristian    feeling  towards    one    of  the 
members  of  the  class." 

The  Christian  life  is  everywhere  made  up  of 
lights  and  shades,  sunshine  and  clouds,  days  of 
brightness  and  days  of  gloom.  Sometimes  the 
lights  appear  to  predominate  for  awhile,  and 
several  weeks,  or  even  months,  roll  on  Avithout 
any  extraordinary  trial  or  calamity.  But  it  is 
not  well,  perhaps,  that  the  Christian  should  have 
simshine  alwaj's ;  and  anon,  the  heavens  grow 
black,  and  the  storm  rises  and  bursts,  and  he 
is  thus  reminded  that  the  world  is  not  his  rest. 
Mr.  Hodgson  had  now  laboured  two  years  at 
Bootchap,  during  which  he  had  experienced 
many  proofs  of  the  Divine  goodness,  and  had 
WT-tnessed  many  signs  of  God's  power  among 
the  people ;  but  towards  the  close  of  the  year 
1830,  he  was  called  to  pass  through  one  of  the 
most  painful  dispensations  of  Providence  that 
marked  his  eventful  life.  Mrs.  Hodgson  had 
given  birth  to  a  daughter,  and  was  now  suffer- 
ing severely  from  an  abscess  in  the  breast.  No 
medical  advice  could  be  obtained  at  Bootchap  ; 
and  Mr.  Hodgson,  whose  mind  was  much  dis- 
tressed, thought  it  his  duty  to  leave  the  Be- 
chuana  country,  and  ultimately,  to  take  a 
voyage  home,  With  great  reluctance,  but 
doubtless  under  the  dii'ection  of  the  Pro\T.- 
dence  of  God,  he  bade  adieu,  December  5th, 
1830,  to  the  people  among  whom  he  had  lived 
so  long.  It  was  no  ordinary  tiial  to  be  obliged 
to  leave  them.  Bootchap  had  become  endeared 
to  him  by  many  pleasing  associations.     The 


REV,  T.  L.    HODGSON.  101 

work  of  God  was  evidently  prospering.  The  L 
Sabbath  congregation  amounted  to  nearly  two  | 
hundi'ed  persons ;  thirty- three  persons  had  been 
admitted  into  the  church ;  and  there  were 
fifteen  candidates  for  Chiistian  baptism.  No 
wonder,  then,  that  Mr.  Hodgson  felt  deeply  on 
taking  his  farewell  of  this  interesting  charge. 
The  following  is  his  account  of  the  last  Sabbath 
spent  at  Bootchap  : — 

'^December  oth,  1830. — Preached  twice,  and 
took  leave  of  those  whose  salvation  had  for 
upwards  of  two  years  been  the  burden  of  my 
mind  and  the  subject  of  my  prayers.  Though 
I  fully  acquiesce  in  the  dispensation  of  Divine 
Providence  in  my  removal  from  Bootchap,  and 
prepare  for  my  journey  without  a  murmur; 
yet  I  feel  keenly  at  parting  with  a  people  to 
whom  I  have  been  blessed,  and  who  have  long 
shown  the  greatest  affection  towards  me  and 
mine.  jS^ever  did  I  see  so  clearly  the  force  of 
that  evidence  of  discipleship  spoken  of  by  our 
Lord,  '  By  this  shall  all  men  know  that  ye 
are  my  disciples,  if  ye  have  love  one  to  another;' 
(John  xiii.  35 ;)  for  while  I  parted  vrith  many 
vrith  feelings  of  pity  for  them  as  sinners,  yet 
I  felt  the  yearnings  of  a  parent  over  others 
who  had  set  out  for  the  kingdom,  but  were 
yet  the  lambs  of  Chiist's  flock.  May  the  great 
Head  of  the  chui'ch  preside  over  and  abundantly 
bless  them!  I  administered  the  Lord's  sup- 
per to  twenty-five  persons,  two  of  whom  were 
young  men  belonging  to  the  school.  The 
Lord  was  graciously  present." 


102  MEMOIIl   OF   THE 

Who  does  not  admire  the  simplicity  of  these 
remarks?  There  is  here  no  colouring,  no 
attempt  to  make  the  most  of  these  cii^cum- 
stances.  Indeed  Mr.  Hodgson's  Journals  were 
kept  only  with  a  view  to  private  purposes,  and 
not  Avith  the  design  that  they  should  ever  be 
made  public.  He  occasionally  made  extracts 
from  them,  which  he  sent  to  the  Missionary 
Committee  in  England;  but  in  these  exti'acts 
he  kept  himself,  as  much  as  possible,  out  of 
view.  His  humility  was  most  sincere,  and  the 
success  of  his  labours  he  ever  attributed  to  the 
mercy  and  the  grace  of  God. 

Bootchap  continued,  after  Mr.  Hodgson  left 
it,  to  be  the  scene  of  Missionary  toil  for  several 
years.  It  does  not  now,  however,  stand  on 
the  Missionarj^  report;  for,  in  consequence  of 
the  removal  of  the  inhabitants  to  other  locali- 
ties, it  was  ultimately  abandoned.  And,  indeed, 
the  IVIission  in  the  Bechuana  country  has  been 
subject  to  numerous  Aicissitudes ;  for,  as  Neander 
strikingly  observes,  ^'  We  may  often  notice  in 
the  history  of  Missions,  how  a  rapid,  and,  to  a 
supei:fi.cial  dreamer,  a  very  promising  spread  of 
Christianity  has  been  succeeded  by  a  rallying 
of  the  forces  of  Heathenism ;  and  the  final 
victory  of  Christianity  is  not  achieved  till  after 
a  fresh  conflict,  which  serves  to  separate  the 
genuine  and  the  spurious."*'  Yet  the  seed 
scattered  was  not  lost.     The  produce  of  it  re- 


*  Missions  in  the  Middle  Acres. 


IIEV.   T.   L.  HODGSON.  103 

mains  to  this  day.  Many  whom  Mr.  Hodgson 
was  the  instrimient  of  enlightening  have  been 
gathered  into  the  fold  above ;  and  others  still 
live  in  fellowship  Avith  the  church  on  earth. 
To  the  value  of  Missionary'  effort  in  the  interior 
of  South  Africa,  testimonies  have  been  often 
borne  by  travellers,  some  of  whom,  however, 
have  pui'sued  a  course  of  conduct  calcidated  to 
neutralise  the  effects  produced.  Among  this 
class  must  be  ranked  Mr.  Gordon  Cumming, 
the  jS^imrod  of  that  country,  who,  in  his  Travels, 
observes  of  the  Griquas,  that  they  are  ''given 
to  gross  superstitions,  which  the  pains-taking 
Missionary  stiives  to  abate  and  to  extirpate  by 
the  education  of  their  children ;"  but  then 
proceeds  to  narrate  some  of  his  own  exploits, 
which,  as  he  himself  states,  the  Missionary, 
Dr.  Livingstone,  declared,  would  produce  an 
injurious  influence  on  the  native  mind.^'  "\Yell- 
merited  are  the  censures  on  Mr.  Cumming  by 
the  "  Quarterly  Eeview "  in  the  folloA^-ing 
passage,  which  I  quote  as  a  highly  valuable 
testimony  to  the  importance  of  the  labours  of 
such  men  as  the  subject  of  this  Memoir.    After 


*  He  had  made  the  Bechuanas  believe  that  the  rubbing 
of  his  hands  with  sulphur  was  the  cause  of  his  being  able 
to  hit  a  target  whilst  the  Chief  missed  it !  and  he  then 
observes,  "  When  Dr.  Livingstone  was  informed  of  this 
circumstance,  he  was  veiy  much  shocked,  declaring  tbat 
in  future  the  natives  would  fail  to  believe  him  when  he 
denounced  supernatural  agency,  having  now  seen  it  prac- 
tised by  his  own  countryman." — A  Hwiter's  Life  in 
South  Africa,  vol.  ii.,  p.  72. 


104  ITEMOIE    OF    THE 

citing  a  passage  from  Mr.  Gumming  in  which 
he  relates  how  he  practised  on  the  supersti- 
tions notions  of  the  Bechuanas,  the  reviewer 
obsen-es : — 

''It  is  a  relief  to  turn  from  this  picture  of 
the  use  of  superior  knowledge  and  power  to 
another   one.      The   Anglo-Saxon   Missionary 
voluntarily  expatriates  himself,  and  takes  up 
his  abode  permanently  in  those  remote  wilder- 
nesses where  to  spend  a  few  '  sporting  seasons* 
is  a  rude  trial  for  the  strong-blooded  enthusiast 
of  the  chase.     Here  the  homely  Moravian,  or 
desj)ised  Methodist,  bent  to  achieve  the  con- 
quest over  himself,  a  victory  far  above  any  that 
can  be  attained  over  the   brute  beasts,   tasks 
himself  with  all  those  duties  that  may  tend,  in 
any  measure,   to  the  dispersion  of  the  dense 
mist  of  ignorance  and  superstition  which  has 
long  clouded  the  minds  of  the  dark  brethren 
around  him.     He  shows  them  better  methods 
of  cultivating  the  soil   (vol.  i.,  p.  225) ;    he 
laboriously  studies  their  dialect,  and  reduces  it 
to  writing  (/^.,  p.  226) ;  he  teaches  the  young, 
— sows  the  good  seed  of  humane  principles  and 
charities  in  their  fresh  minds  {ib.,  p.  225) ;  and, 
working  at  his  humble  printing-press,  diffuses 
the  same  princijoles  wherever  he  has  prepared 
the  groimd  by  the  art  of  reading ;  he  hastens 
to  the  relief  of  the  wayward  wanderer,  who 
may    have     thwarted     his    best     endeavours 
(vol.  ii.,  p.  280) ;  in  a  word,  his  daily  practice 
exemplifies   the   precepts   which  he  specially 
inculcates  on  the  Christian  Sabbath,  the  Divine 


EEV.    T.    L.    HODGSON. 


105 


Author  of  which  he  feels  himself  commissioned 
to  make  knowii  to  those  who  have  never  before 
had  preached  to  them  the  Gospel  of  peace; 
and  all  this  Mr.  Gumming  relates,  without 
apparently  one  surmise  of  the  inevitable 
deduction."* 

*  "Quarterly  Review,"  December,  1851. 


s. 


106  MEMOIR    OF    THE 


CHAPTER  Yll. 

<0nglan!i  an!i  tljp  Capr. 

Stepping  on  board  "the  Courier,"  at  Port- 
Elizabeth,  with  his  afflicted  wife  and  infant 
daughter,  Mr.  Hodgson  bade,  as  it  proved,  a 
temporary  adieu  to  Southern  Afiica,  and  on  the 
25th  of  May,  1831,  landed  at  St.  Katherine's 
Dock,  London ;  whence,  in  a  few  days,  he 
proceeded  to  Darlington,  where  he  met  with  a 
most  cordial  reception  from  a  large  cii'cle  of 
friends,  and  where  he  Avas  appointed  by  the 
ensuing  Conference  to  labour  during  the 
following  year. 

And  now  the  stroke  which  he  so  much 
feared,  but  which  he  had  hoped  might  possibly 
be  averted,  fell  upon  him.  On  the  30th  of 
September,  1831,  his  beloved  Ann  exchanged 
mortality  for  life.  But  her  death  was  calm 
and  peaceful.  On  the  day  previous  to  her 
departure,  her  husband  observed  to  her,  "  You 
can  smile  at  death:"  to  which  she  answered, 
"Yes,  and  triumph  in  death;"  adding,  "Pre- 
cious Jesus  !  precious  Jesus  !  I  did  not  think 
that  the  Lord  would  have  blessed  me  as  He 
does.  Glory  !  glorj^ !"  "  Much  she  saw  and 
suffered,"  observes  Mr.  Hodgson,  "  in  this  e^dl 
world;  and  now  that  she  is  removed  to  that 
pure  and  holy  rest,  faith  decides  that  all  is 


REV.  T.  L.  nODGSOX.  107 

right.  The  strength  of  natural  affection  some- 
times makes  me  feel  under  the  bereavement ; 
but  my  judgment  is  quiet,  and  tells  me  that 
my  heavenly  Father  hath  done  all  things  well." 
Mr.  Hodgson's  consolations  were  those  which 
the  Gospel  furnishes.  He  was  not  stoical,  but 
neither  did  he  sorrow  as  others  who  have  no 
hope.  And,  doubtless,  though  the  pain  of 
separation  was  so  bitter,  he  was  thankful  that 
he  had  possessed  so  valuable  a  help-meet.  He 
would  have  adopted — and  who  that  knows  any- 
thing of  the  delights  of  friendship  Avould  not 
adopt  ? — the  sentiment  so  beautifully  expressed 
by  Tennyson  : — 

"  I  hold  it  true  what  e'er  befall ; 
I  feci  it  when  I  sorrow  most ; 
'Tis  better  to  have  loved  and  lost, 
Than  never  to  have  loved  at  all." 

In  the  society  of  his  friends  at  Darlington, 
Mr.  Hodgson  found  some  solace  for  his  mind ; 
and  here  he  laboured,  with  considerable  benefit 
to  the  Circuit,  for  a  period  of  two  3'ears.  He 
then  removed  to  Eetford,  where  his  ministry 
had  been  so  successful  at  an  early  period  of 
his  life.  "Although,"  obseiTcs  his  friend, 
Mr.  Otter,  ''  from  exposures  and  heavy  trials 
in  a  distant  land,  his  physical  energies  were 
much  reduced,  yet  he  still  manifested  the  same 
spirit,  the  same  zealous  effort  to  save  souls; 
and  a  large  amount  of  success  again  attended 
the  joint  labours  of  himself  and  his  excellent 
colleague,  the  Rev.  Robert  Ramm."  His  pulpit 
K  2 


108  MEMOIR   OF   THE 

exercises,  as  several  of  his  manuscript  sermons 
are  sufficient  to  XDrove,  were  characterized  by- 
clear,  plain,  and  forcible  exhibitions  of  the 
great  doctrines  of  the  Gospel ;  and  if  there  was 
nothing  brilliant  in  his  j)reaching,  there  was — 
what  is  of  far  more  value — much  e^wnestness 
and  zeal  in  making  Christ  known  as  "  the  way, 
the  truth,  and  the  life," — the  *'one  Mediator 
between  God  and  man,"  A  Missionary  in  the 
interior  of  South  i\irica  has  but  few  opportuni- 
ties for  reading  and  study,  and  Mr.  Hodgson 
often  expressed  his  regret  that  he  had  not  been 
able  to  give  more  attention  to  pursuits  of  an 
intellectual  nature ;  but,  as  we  have  seen,  his 
time  in  the  Bechuana  land  was  otherwise  jQlled 
up.  He  had,  however,  made  himself  thoroughly 
conversant  with  God's  own  book,  and  was  ''  a 
workman  that  needed  not  to  be  ashamed, 
rightly  dividing  the  word  of  truth." 

But,  though  highly  acceptable  in  his  Circuit, 
and  greatly  blessed  in  the  work  in  which  he 
was  engaged,  his  heart  was  still  in  Africa,  and 
he  panted  to  return  to  the  foreign  tield.  He, 
therefore,  (having  previously  married  again,) 
offered  himself  to  the  Missionary  Committee  for 
a  re -appointment  to  that  country.  Tor  awhile, 
however,  no  suitable  opening  for  him  presented 
itself  to  the  Committee  in  South  Africa ;  and 
hence  the  General  Secretaries  wished  him  to 
take  the  oversight  of  the  Irish  Missions  and 
Schools, — a  position  for  which  they  thought 
him  well  qualified.  But,  though  urged  to 
accept  that  honourable  post,  he  declined  it; 


REV.  T.  L.  HODGSON.  100 

Avitli  the  hope,  no  doubt,  that  his  way  would 
idtimately  be  made  plain  to  return  to  his 
former  sphere  of  toil. 

It  was  made  plain.  In  the  year  183.5,  much 
to  the  regret  of  his  friends  in  England,  he 
received  an  appointment  to  Cape-Town ;  and 
immediately  after  the  Conference  of  that  year, 
he  made  preparations  for,  a  second  time,  leaving 
liis  native  land.  Was  it  no  trial  to  him  ? 
Let  the  following  extract  testify  : — 

''October  6th,  1835.— Left  Darlington  by 
coach  ;  and  had  to  do  violence  to  my  feelings 
in  lea\*ing  many  kind  relations,  whom,  perhaps, 
I  may  never  see  again  until  the  morning  of 
the  resurrection.  Providence  kindly  opened 
my  way  to  escape  the  pain  of  parting  with  my 
dear  sister  Parker ;  and  I  was  able,  Tvdth  some- 
thing like  manly  fortitude,  to  leave  my  dear 
relatives  at  Darlington,  though  painfully  re- 
minded of  the  scenes  through  which  I  passed 
in  March,  1821."  ''  On  the  coach,  I  had  time 
for  reflection,  and  could  not  help  shedding 
tears  at  leaving  a  place  where  I  was  born,  and 
born  again ;  where  I  spent  some  of  the  happy 
years  of  my  youth,  and  where  there  arc  many 
who  retain,  in  their  affections,  a  warm  feeling 
towards  me.  However,  I  was  soon  enabled  to 
recover  the  calm  state  of  mind  which  I  have 
enjoyed  in  yielding  to  the  convictions  of  my 
breast." 

At  Retford,  and  in  the  neighbourhood,  he 
received  numerous  proofs  of  the  high  estimation 
in  which    he    was   held   by  his  fiiends.     At 
K  3 


110  MEMOIR    OF   THE 

Gringley,  for  example,  after  preaching  Ms  last 
sermon,  he  was  presented  with  the  sum  of  £10, 
by  a  number  of  fiiends,  some  of  them  members 
of  the  ChuiX'h  of  England,  accompanied  with 
the  following  address  : — 

*^  Permit  us,  Eev.  Sir,  as  members  of  our 
National  Church,  to  oifer  to  you  the  assurance 
of  our  kindly  disposition  towards  your  person 
and  office,  which  ourselves  and  others  of  our 
communion  have  good  reason  for  entertaining 
for  such  a  series  of  years.  On  this  ground  it 
is  that  we,  and  others  of  your  o^\^l  Body,  have 
ventured  to  give  expression  to  our  feelings  by 
uniting  oiu'  prayers  with  our  sacrifices;  and 
beg  that  you  ^ill  consider  this  feeble  token  of 
our  love  and  esteem  for  the  cause  of  Chris- 
tianity in  no  other  light  than  conveying  an 
earnest  msh  and  desire  that  Almighty  God 
would,  in  His  good  pro\ddence,  give  you  and 
yours  His  future  blessing,  and  make  you 
more  than  ever  the  happy  instrument  in 
diffusing  His  light.  His  truth,  and  His  salva- 
tion to  those  who  are  sitting  in  darkness  and 
the  shadow  of  death." 

Not  more  gratifying  to  Mr.  Hodgson  was 
the  address,  and  the  gift  by  which  it  was 
accompanied,  than  it  was  honourable  to  the 
parties  by  whom  it  was  presented.  The  money 
he  was  at  liberty  to  appropriate  either  to  his 
personal  convenience,  or  to  the  general  interests 
of  Christian  Missions ;  and,  with  the  generosity 
by  which  he  was  always  characterized,  he 
immediately  resolved  to  devote  it  to  the  latter. 


KEV.  T.  L.  HODGSOX.  Ill 

On  the  day  of  his  departure  from  Ectford, 
large  numbers  of  friends  assembled  to  give  to 
their  beloved  Pastor  a  last  shake  of  the  hand ; 
and,  as  the  coach  passed  through  the  villages 
of  Roekley  and  of  Tuxford,  the  streets  pre- 
sented a  most  lively  appearance,  many  having 
left  their  habitations  to  catch  a  farewell  look. 
He  arrived,  ^dth  his  family,  in  London,  on  the 
16th  of  October,  and  ten  days  after  embarked 
in  the    "Mary   Eliza,"   bound   for  the    Capo 
of  Good  Hope,    &c.,   &c.      The  voyage   was, 
like   most  voyages  to    non-seafaring    people, 
tedious  and  long,  vHth  occasional  storms,  and 
a  few  calms ;  but  it  was  rendered  agreeable  by 
the  company  of  the  Eev.  Messrs.  Jackson  and 
Oarncr,  and  their  wives,  and  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Tindall,  all  of  whom  had  been  appointed    to 
diiferent    spheres    of    Missionary    labour    in 
Southern  Africa.     The  ship  dropped  her  anchor 
in  Table-Bay,  on  the   16th  of  January,  1836; 
■and  in  a  short  time  Mr.  Hodgson  and  his  family 
repaired  to   the  Mission-house    adjoining   the 
"VVesleyan    chapel,    Burgh-street,   where   they 
received  a  cordial  welcome  from  Mrs.  Shaw, — 
her   husband,   the   Rev.  Barnabas  Shaw,  not 
being  at  home. 

And  now  Mr.  Hodgson  entered  tigain  on  his 
beloved  employment ;  and,  with  nearly  all  his 
3'outhful  zeal,  began  to  exert  himself  for  the 
■extension  of  the  liecleemer's  kingdom.  But  he 
and  his  colleagues  met  with  opposition.  Among 
the  coloui'ed  population  of  Cape-Town,  there 
"was  a  considerable  number  of  unruly  persons, 


112  MEMOIE    OF    THE 

who  attempted,  on  several  occasions,  to  disturb 
the  public  worship  of  God.  Open-air  preach- 
ing was  commenced  on  the  parade,  but  was 
soon  abandoned,  in  consequence  of  the  annoy- 
ances to  which  the  Preachers  were  subject. 
Mr.  Hodgson  appealed  to  the  Superintendent 
of  the  Police ;  but,  though  the  privilege  of 
preaching  in  the  open-air  had  been  granted  by 
His  Excellency  the  Governor,  little  redress 
could  be  obtained.  Some  of  the  scenes  en- 
acted were  most  disgraceful ;  resembling,  more 
or  less,  those  which  were  witnessed  in  England, 
during  the  early  days  of  Methodism,  and  ori- 
ginating, doubtless,  from  a  similar  cause — 
hostility  to  the  doctrines  of  the  Cross. 

Kor  were  the  coloured  classes  the  only  par- 
ties connected  witli  this  movement.  There 
were  persons  behind  the  scenes,  who,  from 
extreme  dishke  to  Methodism,  instigated,  or,  at 
least,  abetted  the  mob.  In  a  certain  news- 
paper, pubhshed  in  the  Dutch  language,  in- 
flammatory articles  made  their  appearance, 
abusing  the  Wesleyan  Ministers  and  Local 
Preachers  in  no  very  measured  terms.  The 
attempts  which  were  made  to  break  in  upon 
the  ranks  of  Satan,  roused  the  ire  of  his  ser- 
vants, and  even  of  some  who  professed  to  be 
the  followers  of  Christ.  Here  is  a  description 
of  one  of  those  scenes  : — 

''July  24th. — At  four  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon, I  repaired  to  the  parade,  accompanied  by 
two  of  our  friends,  where  I  was  afterwards 
joined  by  many  of  the  Society;  and,  on  taking 


EEV.  T.  L.  HODGSON.  113 

my  stand  for  the  purpose  of  preaching,  was 
surrounded  by  several  hundred  persons.  Dui'ing 
the  first  hymn  the  mob  was  tolerably  quiet, 
and  also  at  pra5^er,  with  the  exception  of  a  few 
persons  crpng  out,  '  Speak  up,'  '  We  cannot 
hear,'  &c.  But  while  singing  the  second 
hymn,  several  made  themselves  prominent  in 
pushing  about  among  the  crowd,  and,  before 
we  had  finished  the  hymn,  a  considerable  com- 
motion had  commenced.  Blows  were  struck ; 
and,  seeing  one  or  two  indi\T.duals  intoxicated, 
one  man  without  his  coat,  blood  flowing  fi^om 
one  or  two  persons,  Mr.  Jordaine's  exhortation 
to  listen  to  what  I  had  to  say  disregarded,  and 
our  friends,  who  were  most  active  and  cou- 
rageous, unable  to  stop  the  commotion,  I  felt  a 
little  alarmed  for  the  consequences, — not  as 
affecting  my  personal  safetj^,  but  the  credit  of 
our  cause,  lest  sufficient  forbearance  should  not 
be  shown,  and  lest  we  should  be  censured  for 
persisting  in  the  duty  of  open-air  preaching. 
AYhile  I  attempted  to  preach,  several  stones 
were  thrown,  one  of  which  hit  me  on  the 
head,  and  another  on  the  hand.  After  con- 
tinuing the  service,  such  as  it  was,  the  usual 
time,  we  sang  a  hymn,  and  I  dismissed  the 
congregation  by  pronouncing  the  benediction. 
Upon  this,  I  retired  through  the  mob  towards 
the  lower  end  of  the  parade,  where  a  gig  was 
waiting  to  convey  me  to  Wynberg,  where  I  had 
to  preach  at  six  o'clock;  and  was  followed  by 
some  hundreds,  saluting  us  with  shouting,  and 
occasional  stones,  one  of  which  hit  me  on  the 


114  MEMOIIl   OF    THE 

back.  At  the  bridge  over  the  small  brook  and 
stile  through  which  we  had  to  pass,  on  leaving 
the  parade,  a  considerable  rush  was  made  by 
the  mob,  probably  to  induce  our  being  thrown 
into  the  ditch ;  but  I  hastened  on,  and  took 
my  place  in  the  gig,  lea\'ing  the  rude  rabble, 
under  a  vulgar  salute  and  a  shower  of  stones, 
thankful  that  I  had  sustained  no  injuiy  in 
maintaining  the  right  of  offering  the  Gospel 
where  Sabbath-breakers,  and  all  kinds  of 
sinners,  of  all  ranks  and  all  ages,  are  wont  to 
resort,  and  that  I  was  honoured  in  bearing,  in 
any  measure,  the  reproach  of  Christ." 

Eut  these  circumstances  were  in  several 
ways  overruled  for  good.  A  gentleman,  belong- 
ing to  the  East  India  service,  sent  to  Mr. 
Hodgson  a  donation  of  £5  for  the  Wesleyan 
Missionary  Society ;  and  a  Memorial  to  His 
Excellency  the  Governor,  in  favoiu'  of  the 
AYesleyan  Missionaries,  was  drawn  up  and 
signed  by  sixteen  gentlemen  of  the  first  re- 
spectability in  Cape- Town,  and  published  in 
the  "  South  African  Commercial  Advertiser." 
Justice  was  also  obtained,  at  length,  from  the 
authorities  of  the  town,  and  two  of  the  ring- 
leaders in  the  disturbance  fined.  **  I  left  the 
Police-court,"  says  Mr.  Hodgson,  "  thankful 
for  the  termination  of  this  imhappy  affair,  and 
for  the  cordial  sujjport  which  had  been  afforded 
me  by  some  most  respectable  gentlemen,  with 
a  hope  that  active  hostilities  will  cease,  and 
that  the  public  will  perceive  that  the  prose- 
cutions have  been  instituted  onlv  to  further 


UF,V.  T.   L.    HODGSON.  llo 

the  rights  of  justice.  I  feel  myself  much  in- 
debted to  Mr.  Jordaine  for  his  kind  and  cou- 
rageous behaviour;  for  he  not  only  addressed 
tlie  mob,  and  exhorted  to  peace,  but  encouraged 
me  to  persevere  in  my  efforts." 

From  the  day  that  St.  Paul  preached  at 
Ephcsus,  and  ''  the  whole  city  was  filled  with 
confusion,"  even  to  the  nineteenth  century,  has 
Chi'istianity  met  with  opposition.  All  the 
Avorld  over  have  its  Ministers  been  persecuted, 
and  all  the  world  over  have  the  votaries  of 
error  and  of  sin  assailed  it  mth  their  might. 
The  reason  is  ob-sious.  It  strikes  at  the  root 
of  all  those  evils  which  fallen  human  nature 
cherishes  so  fondly.  "  Sii's,"  said  the  makers 
of  shrines  for  Diana,  '^  ye  know  that  by  this 
craft  we  have  our  wealth."  How  then  was  it 
likely  that  they  could  allow  Paul  to  preach 
against  Diana,  and  thus  to  ruin  their  trade, 
with  imjDunits'  r  And  for  the  like,  or  for 
similar  reasons, — ^because  it  endangers  their 
craft,  or  their  pleasure,  or,  perhaps,  their 
reputation, — men  almost  everywhere,  whether 
civilised  or  barbarous,  oppose  the  faithful  pro- 
clamation of  the  Gospel. 

Early  in  the  year  1837,  the  Rev.  Barnabas 
Shaw  returned  to  England ;  and  Mr.  Hodgson  be- 
came Chairman  of  the  Cape  District,  and,  some 
years  latei',  the  General  Superintendent.  On  him 
the  care  of  the  Mission  now,  therefore,  princi- 
pally devolved  ;  and  the  duties  he  was  called 
to  discharge  were  exceedingly  onerous  and 
important.     He  felt  his  responsibility ;  but  he 


116  MEMOIR    OF    THE 

proved  fully  equal  to  the  task  assigned  him. 
In  his  hands  no  department  of  the  work  was 
suffered  to  languish  for  want  of  attention  and 
of  care ;  for,  with  all  the  energy  he  could  com- 
mand, he  watched  over  the  various  interests  of 
the  District  more  assiduously  than  a  parent 
over  those  of  his  own  family. 

On  his  aiTival  in  Cape-Town  there  was  one 
excellent  and  commodious  chapel,  which  had 
been  erected  several  years;  but  another  was 
required  in  a  somewhat  neglected  part  of  the 
town,  and  by  the  united  efforts  of  Mr.  Hodgson 
and  his  colleagues  it  was  built,  and  on  the  26th 
of  February,  1837,  dedicated  to  the  worship  of 
the  one  true  God,  by  the  Eev.  AY.  Shaw, 
who  had  just  returned  from  England,  and  the 
Eev.  B.  Shaw,  who  was  on  the  eve  of  his  de- 
parture. Towards  the  erection  of  this  chapel, 
a  bazaar  was  held ;  which  was  patronised  by  the 
presence  of  Lady  D'Urban,  Sir  J.  Wilde,  and 
other  distinguished  personages  of  Cape-Town ; 
and  which  realised  the  sum  of  £50,  with  a 
small  balance,  which  was  set  apart  for  the 
commencement  of  a  Dorcas  Society. 

The  new  chapel  was  situated  in  Sydney- 
street  ;  and  I  well  remember  the  j)leasure  I 
experienced  when  in  Cape -Town,  on  visiting 
this  little  sanctuary,  and  ^^itncssing  its  highly 
interesting  congregation  and  school.  Here 
many  a  benighted  mind  has  been  enlightened, 
and  many  a  poor  sinner  directed  to  the  Cross. 
I^ot  long  after  it  was  opened,  the  Divine 
-blessing  was  very  largely  given  to  the  ministry 


REV.  T.  L.  HODGSON.  117 

of  the  -word  of  God,  and  several  individuals 
wore  brought  into  fellowship  with  the  church 
of  Christ.  The  Malay  and  coloured  population 
of  Cape-Town  were  the  special  objects  of  Mr. 
Hodgson's  attention,  and  he  had  the  satisfaction 
of  seeing  the  schools  which  had  been  ah^eady 
ostabHshed  for  their  benefit  flourish,  and  a 
third  commenced  for  the  instruction,  more 
particularly,  of  girls.  In  this  institution  his 
liiend,  James  Backhouse,  Esq.,  who  ^-isited 
South  Afiica  in  the  year  1838,  took  a  lively 
interest.  Mr.  Backhouse  had  been  a  school- 
fellow of  Mr.  Hodgson's,  and  after  a  separation 
of  twenty  years  they  met  at  Cape-ToA^Ti  on 
the  27th  of  June,  1838,  on  which  day  Mr. 
Backhouse  and  his  companion  Mr.  AYalker 
landed  on  the  shores  of  Afiica.  Mr.  Hodgson 
tlius  alludes  to  the  circumstance  : — 

*' Messrs.  Backhouse  and  Walker,  two 
*  Friends,'  who  have  been  travelling  in  various 
parts  to  obtain  information  as  to  the  state  of 
religion,  &c.,  arrived  in  the  Colony  from  the 
Mamitius.  With  Mr.  Backhouse  I  was  at 
school,  in  Darlington.  I  have  not  seen  him 
for  twenty  years.  Little  did  either  of  us 
think,  when  boys,  that  we  should  ever  meet 
on  a  foreign  shore." 

And  in  his  personal  narrative,  Mr.  Back- 
house observes: — ''8th  month,  13th.  We 
accompanied  Thomas  L.  Hodgson  to  a  school 
belonging  to  the  Wesleyans,  in  Sydney-street, 
a  district  of  the  toT\Ti  in  which  many  poor 
Irish  and  coloured  people  reside.     Upwards  of 


118  MEMOIR    OF    THE 

one  hundred  pupils  are  taught  here  by  a  pious 
young  man,  on  a  modification  of  the  system  of 
the  British  and  Foreign  School  Society.  A 
precious  sense  of  the  overshado^ving  of  our 
heavenly  Father's  love  attended  our  minds  while 
hearing  a  few  of  the  lessons,  and  subsequently  ex- 
tending some  religious  counsel  to  the  children." 

The  abolition  of  slavery  in  all  the  possessions 
of  the  British  Crown,  one  of  the  noblest  acts 
ever  performed  by  the  English  Government,  was 
a  boon  conferred  on  Southern  Africa,  and  one  as 
joyously  received  as  in  the  West  India  islands. 
The  day  on  which  the  Act  came  into  operation 
was  one  of  general  gladness  and  rejoicing;  the 
owners  of  the  slaves  alone  refusing  to  take 
part  in  the  festivities  of  the  occasion.  "  It  was 
observed,"  says  Mr.  Hodgson,  **  by  assembling 
the  Sunday-school  children  in  the  Government- 
Gardens,  where  they  and  others  were  addressed 
by  Mr.  Clough,  and  the  childi^n  regaled  with 
beef  and  bread.  The  day  passed  off  with  great 
hilarity.  We  had  three  hundred  and  ten  children 
from  our  three  schools  ;  a  very  large  number, 
considering  that  many  of  our  children  are  yet  ap- 
prentices, and  were  prevented  from  joining  us." 

But  in  the  midst  of  numerous  tokens  of  the 
Divine  favour  with  which  Mr.  Hodgson  was 
visited,  he  was  called  to  sustain  peculiar  trials. 
The  spirit  of  faction  which  in  1835  disturbed 
many  of  the  Weslej^an  chiux-hes  at  home, 
reached  even  to  Cape-Town;  where  several 
persons  (some  of  whom  lived  to  repent  of  their 
conduct)    endeavoured    to    sow   the    seeds   of 


REV.  T.    L.   HODGSON.  119 

disaiFoction  among  the  members  of  the  Society, 
to  set  aside  all  lawful  authority,  and  to  intro- 
duce practices  utterly  adverse  both  to  the 
interests  of  Methodism  and  of  the  Gospel  of 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  That  such  sad  exhi- 
bitions of  the  spirit  of  lawlessness  which  then 
occurred,  and  which  have  still  more  recently 
been  Avitnessed  in  jVIethodism,  should  have 
ever  taken  place,  is  not  to  be  attributed  to 
defects  in  its  constitution,  as  it  has  been 
repeatedly  affirmed,  but  to  the  disposition  of 
our  fallen  nature,  which,  when  under  the 
influence  of  pride,  vanity,  and  disappointed 
ambition,  is  ever  ready  to  find  fault  with 
governments,  both  civil  and  ecclesiastical,  and 
that,  too,  under  the  plea  of  a  love  of  liberty 
Mr.  Hodgson  was  alarmed  for  the  peace  of  the 
flock  over  which  he  had  to  watch,  and  ho 
endeavoured  firmly,  but  "uith  the  greatest 
kindness,  to  maintain  his  position  as  a  Christian 
Pastor.  His  difficulties  were  numerous,  but 
he  happily  succeeded.  All  manner  of  abuse 
was,  however,  heaped  on  him  by  his  opponents, 
and  charges  the  most  frivolous  were  preferred 
against  him.  The  illness  and  death  of  Mr. 
Goodrick,  a  young  man  of  considerable  energy 
and  zeal,  who  had  been  sent  to  assist  him, 
occurring  about  this  time,  added  greatly  to  Mr. 
Hodgson's  sorrow.  The  ministry  of  Mr. 
Goodiick  had  been  highly  useful,  and  the 
loss  of  such  a  colleague  was  peculiarly  painful. 
But  this  is  one  of  the  trials  to  which  the 
Christian  Missionary  is  frequently  exposed, — -to 
L  2 


120  MEMOIE    OF   THE 

see  his  fellow -labourer  smitten  down  by  sick- 
ness, and  to  close  his  eyes  in  death. 

But  cheering  instances  of  the  power  of  Di^dne 
grace  encoui'aged  Mr.  Hodgson  to  piu'sue  his 
work.  The  following  account,  which  appears 
in  his  Journal,  is  strikingly  illustrative  of  the 
simplicity  of  the  means  which  God  often  em- 
ploys for  the  conversion  of  the  sinner : — 

''August  30th,  1839. — Martenas  Stammen 
was  interred  in  the  burial-ground  of  the  Dutch 
Eeformed  Church,  of  which  he  died  a  member. 
In  his  removal  we  have  sustained  a  great  loss ; 
as  he  promised,  from  his  attachment  to 
Methodism  and  desire  to  be  useful  among  the 
coloured  people,  to  be  a  great  acquisition  to 
our  body.  Stammen  was  left  an  orphan  at  an 
early  period  of  life,  and  was  adopted  by  Mr. 
A.  De  Smidt,  in  whose  family  he  gained  the 
greatest  respect.  Through  affliction  he  was 
brought  under  deep  concern  for  his  soul's  sal- 
vation, and  in  this  state  of  mind  attended 
several  places  of  public  worship,  but  without 
obtaining  the  instruction  which  was  suited  to 
his  case.  One  evening,  passing  by  a  store,  in 
Long-street,  where  a  Local  Preacher  was  ex- 
horting a  few  coloured  people  in  Dutch,  he 
entered,  and  was  struck  with  what  he  heard. 
He  at  once  resolved  to  become  acquainted  with 
the  Wesleyans,  joined  the  Sabbath-class,  and 
in  about  three  months  found  peace  with  God. 
He  soon  began  to  take  part,  mth  the  coloured 
population,  in  the  prayer-meetings  and  the 
school   department;   and  his  piety,  zeal,  and 


KKV.  T.  L.    nODGSOX.  121 

Christian  dcvotcdness  became  apparent  to  all 
with  whom  he  thus  associated. 

''After  eighteen  months  union  with  the 
Society,  he  was  sent  to  Somerset,  Hottentot's 
Holland,  as  a  hired  schoolmaster;  where  he 
iilso  acted  as  a  Local  Preacher.  At  Somerset 
he  soon  collected  fifty  children,  and  his  con- 
duct in  his  situation  was  irreproachable.  But  he 
took  cold ;  and  his  delicate  frame,  which  was 
predisposed  to  consumption,  beginning  to  sink 
under  the  influence  of  disease,  he  was  obliged, 
most  reluctantly,  to  return  home.  During  his 
illness  he  was  always  happ}';  and  on  the  Sun- 
day evening  previous  to  his  death,  his  soul 
overflowed  with  the  love  of  God,  and  appeared 
as  happy  as  it  was  possible  to  be  in  the  body. 
He  longed  to  depart,  and  prayed,  '  Lord  Jesus, 
come  quickly.'  He  was  sensible  to  the  last ; 
and  receiving  a  little  water  from  one  present 
he  was  thankful,  and  said,  '  Ik  lieh  niets  meer 
noodigj'  and  calmly  fell  asleep." 

"I  need  nothing  more."  How  ha^Dpy  he  who 
can  thus  express  himself  in  the  hour  of  death ! 
But  he  only  is  able  to  do  this  in  whose  heart 
Christ  is  formed  '  the  hope  of  glory;'  for  none 
but  Chi'ist  can  satisfy  the  soul's  desu-es,  and,  in 
such  a  season,  especially,  give  peace  and  joy. 

In  the  year  1839,  the  Centenary  year  of 
Methodism,  a  considerable  number  of  Mission- 
aries were  sent  out  by  the  Society  to  reinforce 
the  Missions  in  the  South  Seas  and  in  South 
Afiica.  The  ''Triton,"  destined  for  the  Pacific, 
but  having  on  board  two  Missionaries  for  Africa, 
l3 


122  MEMOIR    OF    THE 

arrived  at  Cape-To"svTi  on  the  23d  of  January, 
1 840 ;  and  scarcely  had  she  sailed  again,  ere 
the  '^  George,"  vnth.  a  large  part;^^  of  Mission- 
aries, all  appointed  to  South  Africa,  reached  the 
same  port.  To  Mr.  Hodgson  and  his  excellent 
Tvife  these  events  caused  very  great  joy;  and  by 
hearts  as  warm  as  ever  beat  in  human  breasts, 
were  the  whole  party  welcomed  to  the  Mission- 
house  at  Cape-Town.  The  hospitality  they 
experienced  (and  the  writer,  being  of  the  num- 
ber, feels  that  he  is  bound  to  speak  of  it)  was 
unlimited.  Eveiy  comfort  the  Mission-house 
could  afford  was  liberally  supplied,  and  every 
effort  made  to  render  this  then-  first  landing  on 
the  shores  of  Africa  as  agreeable  as  possible. 
Mr.  Hodgson  possessed  no  little  of  "  the  milk 
of  human  kindness,"  and  many  Missionaries 
and  their  families,  going  to  or  retiu^ning  from 
the  South  and  East,  have  found  in  him  a  coun- 
sellor and  a  friend. 

The  Eev.  James  Smeeth,  one  of  the  party  in 
the  "George,"  was  appointed  to  the  Cape,  and 
to  him  I  am  indebted  for  the  foUo^dng  remarks 
on  Mr.  Hodgson's  character;  of  which,  as  he 
laboured  with,  him  for  two  or  thi-ee  years,  he 
had  opportunities  of  forming  a  proper  esti- 
mate : — 

"Mr.  Hodgson,"  he  remarks,  "possessed  a 
sound  and  vigorous  constitution.  Persons  of 
more  delicate  health  may  be,  and  doubtless  are, 
very  useful  in  some  departments  of  God's  ser- 
vice; but  not  in  South  Africa,  where  the 
Missionary,   like  St.  Paul,  must  be  'in  jour- 


REV.  T.  L.  HODGSON.  123 

neyiiigs  oft,  in  perils  in  the  wilderness.'  What 
Mr.  Hodgson  endured,  during  his  twenty-six 
years  of  service  in  that  country,  eternity  alone 
will  reveal ;  but,  without  detracting  fi'om 
others,  we  may  safely  say  that  in  this  respect 
he  had  no  superiors,  and  but  few  equals. 
His  abilities  as  a  man  of  business  were  of  a 
high  order.  The  manner  in  which  duties  of 
this  class  were  discharged  by  Mr.  Hodgson  was 
often  the  subject  of  admiration  on  the  part  of 
Government-oiScers,  as  also  of  the  most  re- 
spectable bankers  and  merchants  of  the  toT\Ti. 
Some  may  suppose  that  his  Christian  and  min- 
isterial character  would  suffer  from  so  much 
application  to  matters  of  mere  finance;  but, 
whatever  may  have  been  the  danger,  liis 
uniform  piety,  powerful  prayers,  and  un- 
wavering faith  were  evidences  to  the  contrary. 
He  was  not  unwont  to  pass  fi'om  the  most 
exciting  business  or  the  most  engaging  society 
to  the  bedside  of  the  sick  and  dying,  and  there 
to  plead  with  God,  until  his  fellow- worshippers 
felt  that  the  answer  would  be  given.  His 
talents  as  a  Minister  were  respectable.  Had 
he  been  favoured  with  leisure  for  extensive 
reading  and  pulpit-preparation,  he  would  have 
been,  in  the  best  sense  of  the  term,  a  popular 
Preacher.  But  a  man  who  in  early  life  was 
breaking  up  the  fallow-ground  of  a  heathen 
desert,  whose  only  abode  for  months  together 
was  a  waggon,  and  who,  in  the  latter  part  of  his 
career,  (besides  his  full  share  of  Circuit- work,) 
was  constantly  devising  or  executing  plans  for 


124  MEMOIE    OF   THE 

the  extension  of  the  work  of  God,  could  find 
but  little  time  to  round  his  periods,  or  to 
prepare  his  addresses  in  Yciy  measured  terms 
and  sentences.  Mr.  Hodgson  made  many 
sacrifices  for  Christ,  and  the  sacrifice  of  literary 
pursuits  was  not  the  smallest.  But  his  preach- 
ing was  with  power.  Duiing  the  time  that  I 
was  with  him,  it  was  characterized  by  fervour, 
energy,  and  success.  Many  of  the  sable  sons 
and  daughters  of  Ham  were  led,  by  that  min- 
istry, to  Him  of  whom  Moses  and  the  Prophets 
A\Tote.  But  what  shone  most  conspicuously  in 
Mr.  Hodgson  was  a  deep  and  ardent  spirituality. 
It  was  impossible  to  be  much  in  his  company 
without  feehng  that  he  was  'an  Israelite  in- 
deed.' He  was  keenly  alive  to  anything  like 
imkinduess  from  man,  and  deeply  sensitive 
when  afiliction  came  from  the  hands  of  God ; 
but,  under  both,  he  possessed  his  soul  in 
patience.  Often,  when  his  name  had  been 
vilified  in  the  public  papers,  have  I  heard  him 
pray  that  the  poor  inquiring  Heathen  might 
not  be  thus  turned  from  the  way  of  peace,  and 
that  those  who  reproached  him  might  have 
mercy,  and  not  judgment,  at  the  bar  of  God. 
He  was  faithful,  withal,  in  the  discharge  of  his 
most  painful  pastoral  duties,  and  his  attention 
to  the  interests  of  the  AYesleyan  Missionary 
Society  was  unwearied.  Unlike  some  of  his 
brethren,  he  had  the  means  to  be  liberal 
whenever  an  appeal  was  made  to  his  sym- 
pathies. Often  did  I  think  him  indiscreetly 
free  in  the  distribution  of  his  own  property ; 


KEY.  T.  L.  HODGSON.  125 

but  over  evciy  part  of  the  Society's  resourced 
he  watched  with  a  most  jealous  eye." 

To  this  testimony  I  add  the  following  from 
the  Eev.  J.  Gostick,  now  of  Devonport,  who 
visited  the  Cape  on  his  passage  from  India,  and 
who  observes, — 

"  lirief  as  my  acquaintance  with  Mr.  Hodg- 
son was,  I  shall  always  retain  a  "^dvid  and 
agreeable  impression  of  his  character.  It  was 
in  '  a  time  of  need '  that  I  saw  him.  I  had 
been  torn,  by  domestic  affliction,  from  my 
'  loved  employ '  in  India,  and  was  landed  for 
a  week  at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  in  the  course 
of  oiu'  voyage  to  England.  Never  shall  I 
forget  the  consoling  and  hallowing  influence 
of  Mr.  Hodgson's  society.  A  man  one  would 
like  to  meet  ajiywhere,  he  was  .just  the  man  for 
a  case  like  mine.  He  was  laboming  under  a 
little  indisposition  at  the  time,  so  as  to  be  con- 
fined to  his  room ;  but  he  strove  in  every  possi- 
ble way  to  make  my  stay  at  his  house  useful  as 
well  as  agreeable,  and  conversed  with  me  more 
constantly  than,  for  his  o^^^l  sake,  he  ought  to 
have  done,  with  a  solemn  dignity,  and  yet  a 
gentleness  and  sweetness,  that  greatly  charmed 
me.  I  had  an  opportunity  of  preaching  in 
English,  twice  in  Cape-Town  and  once  in  the 
vicinity,  during  my  visit;  and  I  learned  how 
much  esteemed  he  was  by  the  people  of  his 
pastoral  charge.  I  should  not  do  justice  to  Mrs. 
Gostick's  and  my  own  grateful  recollections,  did 
I  not  add  that  Mrs.  Hodgson  was  a  worthy  help- 
meet of  her  revered  and  lamented  husband." 


126  MEMOIR   OF    THE 


CHAPTER  YIII. 

Ilisit  tn  Jilamarijiialaiitt. 

Infant  churches  require  considerable  care. 
The  occasional  \'isits  of  senior  and  experienced 
Ministers  to  them  are,  therefore,  of  great  im- 
portance, and  are  generally  valued  both  by 
the  Pastors  of  such  churches,  and  the  flock. 
The  Missionary  journeys  of  St.  Paul  were 
undertaken,  not  only  with  a  view  of  planting 
churches  where  they  did  not  yet  exist,  but  also 
of  confirming  several  which  had  abeady  been 
commenced,  and  of  imparting  to  them  spiritual 
gifts.  And  though  no  Christian  Minister  has  now 
all  the  authority  possessed  by  an  Apostle,  yet, 
even  in  these  later  times,  Missionary  churches 
— churches  planted  in  heathen  lands — have 
reaped  no  little  benefit  from  the  visits  of  those 
whom  parent  churches  have  sent  forth  upon 
the  errand. 

In  his  official  capacity,  as  the  General  Super- 
intendent, Mr.  Hodgson  visited,  in  the  year 
1841,  the  Missions  in  Xamacqualand,  which 
were  included  in  the  District  of  which  he  had 
the  charge.  There  is  so  much  that  is  interest- 
ing in  connection  with  the  history  of  the  com- 
mencement of  these  Missions,  that  the  reader 
will  pardon  a  moment's  allusion  to  it.  The 
Rev.  Barnabas  Shaw,  on  being  appointed  to  the 


REV.  T.  L.  HODGSON.  127 

C*apo,  found  that  at  Cape-Town  there  were 
liindcvaneesto  liis  labouring  among  the  coloured 
])opidation,  and  he  resolved  therefore  to  go  into 
the  interior.  He  set  out  upon  his  journey; 
when,  having  crossed  the  Elephant  liiver,  and 
entered  on  the  Karoo,  he  met  a  Xamacqua 
Chief  and  four  of  his  people,  who  had  travelled 
about  two  hundred  miles,  and  were  on  their 
way  to  Cape-Town  ''in  search  of  a  teacher." 
In  this  remarkable  circumstance  Mr.  Shaw 
perceived  the  finger  of  Divine  Pro\ddence,  and 
offered  to  return  with  the  Chief  to  his  kraal. 
The  ofier  was  joyfully  accepted,  and  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  Mission  at  Lily-Fountain  in  Little 
Xamacqualand  was  the  consequence.  Another 
Station  in  Great  o^amacqualand  was  subse- 
quently commenced ;  and  thus  did  the  light  of 
C'hristianity  break  forth  ujDon  a  country  which  > 
had  hitherto  been  T\T:apped  in  moral  gloom. 

The  Xamacquas  are  ethnologically  allied  to 
the  Hottentots.  They  are  similar  to  them  in 
appearance,  though  somewhat  taller ;  and  their 
language,  which  has  to  some  extent  been  super- 
seded by  the  Dutch,  is  of  the  same  character 
as  the  Hottentot,  and  had,  doubtless,  the 
same  origin.  Their  manners  and  customs 
resemble  those  of  the  tribes  of  Southern  Africa 
in  general ;  but  of  religious  notions  they  are 
said  to  have  been,  when  fii'st  ^dsited  by  Mis- 
sionaries, almost  wholly  destitute. 

Mr.  Hodgson  was  not  a  stranger  to  Xamac- 
qualand,  having  visited  the  country  in  the 
year    1824.     He   contemplated   this  journey, 


128  JCEMOm    OF   THE 

therefore,  with  considerable  interest ;  and  has 
left  a  Journal  of  each  day's  incidents,  from 
which  I  make  the  follo^ving  extracts. 

He  left  his  home  and  family  on  the  2d  of 
March,  on  horseback,  accompanied  by  a  Namac- 
qua,  named  Jacob,  as  his  assistant  and  guide. 
An  *' endeared  friend"  had  presented  him, 
some  time  previously,  with  a  little  book  of 
Scripture  passages  for  each  day  of  the  year, 
entitled,  ''The  Threefold  Cord,"  which  he 
took  with  him  to  use  on  the  journey  whilst  the 
horses  rested.  It  proved  to  him  a  soiu'ce  of 
considerable  help .  Each  day' s  text  was  read  and 
pondered ;  and  often,  when  depressed  in  spirits,  it 
was  manna  to  his  soul.  After  several  days'  jour- 
ney, he  arrived  at  the  residence  of  Mr.Yan  Zyl,  a 
Dutch  farmer ;  where  he  obtained  a  waggon 
and  oxen,  which  had  been  sent  from  Kliamies- 
Berg,  and  whatever  else  was  necessary  for  the 
journey  yet  before  him.  He  thus  alludes  to 
the  hospitality  of  his  host : — 

"March  8th. — In  preparing  to  set  forward 
on  my  journey,  had  comfort  in  the  promise  of 
the  day,  (Isai.  Hi.  10,)  and  felt  honoui-ed  in 
taking  any  humble  part  in  causing  '  the  ends 
of  the  earth '  to  '  see  the  salvation  of  our  God.' 
May  my  journey  bear  upon  this  grand  object ! 
When  I  came  out  of  my  chamber,  all  was  bustle, 
as  if  the  attention  of  every  one  must  be  directed 
to  my  wants.  The  father  was  finishing  the 
drying  of  some  fruit  which  I  was  to  take  with  me ; 
the  mother  was  busy  with  her  maidens  baking 
about  twenty  loaves  of  bread,  some  of  which  I 


REV.  T.  L.  HODGSON".  129 

was  constrained  to  accept ;  the  son  was  count- 
ing the  sheep  and  goats,  and  ordered  my  man 
to  take  of  the  best  of  the  flock,  which  young 
Mrs.Yan  Zyl  prepared  for  our  use;  and  one  of 
the  men  was  seen  riding  to  the  other  farm  to 
obtain  fruit  from  the  garden.  The  waggon 
was  soon  ftu-nished  with  meat,  bread,  butter, 
apples,  pears,  figs,  water-melons,  and  I  know 
not  what  besides,  that  I  might  have  a  feast  in 
the  wilderness,  where,  I  was  told,  I  should 
not  have  '  a  bit  too  much.'  I  certainly  never 
felt  more  oppressed  with  kindness,  ui'ged  upon 
me  with  so  much  Cluistian  simplicity ;  and  at 
last  I  was  obliged  to  lock  the  door  of  a  cham- 
ber where  Mrs.  Yan  Zyl  thought  there  was 
sometliiug  that  would  add  to  my  comfort.  To 
crown  the  whole,  Mr.  Yan  Zyl  requested  his 
son  to  yoke  his  oxen,  and  bring  the  waggon 
through  some  heavy  sand  and  over  an  adjoin- 
ing mountain,  by  which  favour  the  strength  of 
our  oxen  was  materially  saved  for  the  whole 
journey." 

At  six  the  following  morning  Mr.  Hodgson 
reached  the  "Heere  Lodgement,"  which,  he 
observes,  '^  is  a  natural  curiosit}',  and  ought  to 
be  seen  by  all  travellers ;  though  a  little  appall- 
ing, from  the  projecting  of  the  shelving  rocks, 
which  form  the  cave.  It  is  a  spacious  apart- 
ment, thirty  feet  by  twelve,  aff'ording  "an 
agreeable  shelter  from  the  scorching  rays  of 
the  sun,  and  the  hea^y  rains  which  fall  at  this 
season  of  the  year.  Some  of  the  rocks  seem 
suspended  by  a  very  slender  support ;  but  they 

M 


130  MEMOIR    OF   THE 

have  been  in  tliis  position  for  ages,  and  will, 
perhaps,  remain  so  until  the  time  when  '  the 
elements  shall  melt  with  fervent  heat.'  " 

After  passing  the  Elephant  Eiver,  south 
latitude  31°  35',  east  longitude  18°  20^  Mr. 
Hodgson  anived  at  "  Ebenezer,"  a  Mission 
Station  of  the  Ehenish  Society ;  where  he  met 
with  a  most  cordial  reception  from  the  Mis- 
sionaries, and  found  an  institution  quite  in  its 
infancy,  where  about  a  hundred  and  eighty 
persons  were  under  the  influence  of  religious 
instruction.  The  Missionaries  were  contem- 
plating great  imj)rovements,  and  were  deeply 
devoted  to  their  self-denying  work. 

Several  days'  travelling  brought  him  to 
Khamies-Berg,  (Lily-Eountain,)  where  the  Rev. 
J.  Jackson  was  labouring,  who  had  but  just 
recovered  from  a  dangerous  illness. 

''March  15th. — Eose  at  two,  and  proceeded 
on  our  journey.  Rested  to  take  coflee  near 
Draai  Klip,  where  I  was  glad  to  meet  brother 
Jackson,  particularly  after  an  affliction  which 
had  threatened  his  life.  I  mounted  one  of  his 
horses,  and  passing  Horn  Gaat,  reached  Mrs. 
Jackson  and  the  children  much  sooner  than  I 
should  have  done  by  the  waggon.  Lily-Fountain 
is  about  four  or  five  thousand  feet  above  the 
level  of  the  sea,  and  forty  miles  distant  from 
the  coast.  Consulting  with  Mr.  Jackson  as  to 
future  proceedings,  I  resolved  to  set  oif  to- 
morrow to  Nisbett-Bath,  to  confer  ^vitli  brother 
Cook  as  to  our  affairs,  and,  if  necessary,  to 
induce  him  to  return  with  me  to  Lily-Eoun- 


REV.  T.   L.   HODGSON.  131 

tain;  where  the  affairs  of  both  Stations,  and 
especially  the  subject  of  the  Damara  Mission, 
might  be  considered  with  more  advantage,  and 
our  united  judgment  officially  recorded." 

In  accordance  with  the  above  resolution, 
Mr.  Hodgson,  though  somewhat  indisposed, 
^et  forward  the  following  day,  on  horseback, 
for  Nisbett-Bath.  His  guide,  however,  misled 
him,  and,  after  travelling  some  distance,  he 
was  obliged  to  retiu'n  to  Lily-Fountain  to 
obtain  a  guide  better  acquainted  with  the  road. 
Such  disasters  will  happen  sometimes,  and 
especially  in  Southern  Africa.  A  second  effort 
was  more  successful. 

And  now  the  journey  was  over  a  sandy 
plain,  where  water  was  somewhat  scarce,  and 
both  men  and  horses  soon  became  faint.  ''By 
digging  in  the  sand,  however,"  says  Mr. Hodg- 
son, on  one  occasion,  "  we  obtained  such  as  we 
could  use  for  our  coffee,  which  I  drank  '  under 
the  shadow  of  a  great  rock  in  a  weary  land.' 
"VYe  obtained  water  for  the  horses  in  the  same 
way,  using  my  pewter  plate  as  a  spade.  But 
I  was  amused  with  my  horse  '  Prince ;'  for 
when  he  found  that  there  was  water  in  the 
sand,  he  dug  for  it  himself  with  his  fore-feet, 
and  would  have  supplied  himself  with  a  suf- 
ficient quantity  had  we  given  him  no  assist- 
ance." 

On  reaching  the  Great  River  (the  Gariep), 

Mr.  Hodgson,  as  indeed  he  expected,  found  it 

full,  and  his  difficulty  now  was  how  to  get 

across  it.     He  was  greatly  fatigued  for  want 

M  2 


132  MEMOIH    OF   THE 

of  sleep,  and  an  intense  thirst  occasioned  him 
considerable  distress.  Finding  two  men,  a 
Namacqua  and  a  Bnshman,  he  sent  them  to  a 
native  kraal  to  ask  some  of  the  inhabitants  to 
come  and  assist  him  in  getting  through  the 
river;  but  they  rctui^ned,  stating  that  their 
application  had  met  with  a  refusal.  Mr.  Hodg- 
son was  obliged,  therefore,  again  to  make  his 
bed  on  the  sand,  as  he  had  done  before ;  but 
the  ground  being  '^somewhat  hard,"  and  the 
mosquitoes  not  a  little  troublesome,  he  got 
scarcely  any  rest.  The  text  for  that  day,  in 
^'  The  Threefold  Cord,"  he  found  peculiarly 
suitable :  ''  Let  patience  have  its  perfect 
work." 

The  next  day  he  proceeded  to  the  village 
himself;  and  writing  a  note  to  Mr.  Cook,  he 
gave  it  to  a  ITamacqua  to  take  care  of,  and 
deliver  to  any  person  whom  he  might  meet 
^vith  fi-oni  Nisbett-Eath.  The  man,  however, 
was  afi*aid,  having,  XDrobably,  some  superstitious 
notion  respecting  it,  and  could  not  be  induced 
to  take  charge  of  the  note.  It  was  therefore 
tied  to  a  tree,  and  he  was  requested,  if  any  one 
came  that  way,  to  point  them  to  the  paper. 
Mr.  Hodgson  hoped  by  this  means  to  get  in- 
formation of  his  position  conveyed  to  Mr.  Cook : 
but  this,  of  course,  was  imcertain ;  and  he  was 
glad,  therefore,  at  this  juncture,  to  meet  with 
a  Bushman,  who,  less  superstitious  in  this  in- 
stance than  the  ISTamacqua,  took  the  note, 
promising  to  comply  with  Mr.  Hodgson's  re- 
quest.    The  Jom-nal  thus  proceeds : — 


REV.  T.  L.  HODGSON.  133 

**  We  left  our  temporary  residence  early,  and 
were  led  by  the  ^amacqua  over  one  of  the 
highest  and  most  rugged  mountains  I  ever 
passed  in  South  Africa.  It  was  trulj^  terrific 
to  look  do^^Ti  some  of  the  precipices,  and 
dangerous  to  lead  our  horses  over  the  rocks. 
I  found  a  little  copper  ore  at  the  top  of  the 
mountain,  and  two  hours'  traveUing  brought  us 
to  a  village  consisting  of  five  houses  only; 
where,  however,  we  were  received  with  great 
kindness.  The  Captain  at  once  promised  us 
the  necessary  assistance;  but,  not  having  a 
sufficient  number  of  swimmers  with  him  at 
present,  he  sent  to  a  neighbouring  village  to 
request  three  of  his  friends  to  join  him  to- 
morrow at  the  ford. 

''March  23d. — Eose  early,  and  prepared  for 
our  journey  to  the  Great  Eiver,  with  the  persons 
who  had  engaged  to  swim  us  over.  Several 
women  came  fi'om  a  neighbouring  tillage  to 
hear  'the  great  word;'  and,  of  coiu-se,  I  held 
Divine  service  with  them.  About  two  hours' 
travelling  brought  us  to  the  river,  where  we 
were  soon  joined  by  the  men  who  had  been 
engaged  to  assist  us.  Three  blocks  of  dry 
willow-wood  were  soon  procured,  and  my  guide 
was  conducted  over  a  wide  and  strong  stream 
with  safet}^ ;  after  which,  the  horses  were 
taken  across.  I  was  obliged  to  remain  until 
the  following  morning,  as  arrangements  could 
not  be  made  in  sufficient  time  to  complete  our 
work. 

"March  24th. — As  early  as  the  s^dmmcrs 
M  3 


134  MEMOIR    OF    THE 

could  b€  induced  to  move,  the  saddle-bags 
were  conveyed  to  the  other  side  of  the  river; 
and  upon  the  return  of  the  men,  I  entrusted 
myself  to  the  charge  of  two  of  them,  between 
whom  I  rested  on  a  ti'ansverse  beam,  fastened 
to  a  log  of  wood  on  each  side,  upon  which  the 
men  rested  their  bodies,  grasping  a  peg,  driven 
into  the  log,  "svith  one  hand,  and  using  the 
other  to  swim  with, — a  method  both  simple 
and  safe,  and  by  which  the  natives  can  swim  a 
considerable  distance  even  in  the  sti'ongest 
stream." 

And  all  this  to  get  to  Nisbett-Bath;  and  that, 
too,  on  a  temporaiy  visit !  Yes,  kind  reader, 
Christian  Missionaries  are  not  gentlemen,  pass- 
ing their  lives  in  ease  and  quietness.  The} 
do  not  shrink  from  difficulties,  or  even  from 
hazarding  their  lives  when  duty  calls  them  and 
they  think  that  thereby  Christ's  cause  can  be 
advanced;  but,  like  the  great  Apostle  of  the 
Oentiles,  a  measure  of  whose  spirit  many  of 
them  have  received,  are  *^in  labours  more 
abundant,"  for  the  welfare  of  mankind. 

The  following  day  Mr.  Hodgson  arrived  at 
Nisbett-Bath,  greatly  fatigued  by  his  journey, 
and  suffeiing  severely  from  having  eaten  food 
which  had  not  agreed  with  him.  Here  he 
found  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cook,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Tindall,  the  latter  (Mrs.  T.)  but  just  recovering 
from  a  violent  attack  of  fever.  A  night's  rest 
proved  highly  beneficial,  and  Mr.  Hodgson  was 
able  to  take  part,  the  following  morning,  in  an 
early  prayer-meeting.     The  next  day  was  the 


EEV.  T.  L.  HODGSON.  135 

Sabbath,  and  an  account  of  its  services  is  thus 
given : — 

''  March  28th.— The  chapel,  which  will  hold 
three  hundred  persons,  was  occupied  at  an  early 
hoiu'  by  the  people,  who  conducted  a  prayer- 
meeting  among  themselves,  in  the  I^amacqua 
language.  At  ten  o'clock  I  preached  to  up- 
wards of  two  hundred  persons,  who  were  most 
attentive.  In  the  afternoon  Mr.  Cook  took  the 
service,  and  in  the  evening  a  prayer-meeting 
was  held  in  the  chapel,  while  I  preached,  in 
English,  to  the  Mission  families.  The  day  was 
spent  with  spiritual  profit ;  and  I  was  highly 
gratified  with  the  attention  of  the  people,  and 
with  the  facility  with  which  the  interpreter 
spoke.  I  baptized  Mr.  Cook's  little  girl  after 
the  morning  service." 

Msbett-Bath  is  situated  in  Great  ISTamacqua- 
iand,  in  south  latitude  28°  20',  east  longi- 
tude 18°  40^  In  the  year  1 832  Josiah  Msbett, 
Esq.,  a  gentleman  from  India,  promised  to  give 
to  the  Wesleyan  Missionary  Society  the  noble 
sum  of  £200,  if  something  could  be  done 
for  that  part  of  Afiica.  The  Eev.  E.  Cook, 
hearing  of  this  offer,  volunteered  to  go ;  and, 
with  the  Committee's  consent,  entered  on  his 
labours.  They  were,  to  a  great  extent,  suc- 
cessful ;  and  Mr.  Hodgson  found,  from  the 
records  of  the  Stiition,  that  since  its  commence- 
ment one  hundred  and  fifty-five  persons  had 
been  baptized,  and  seventy-three  couples  mar- 
ried,— a  result  which,  considering  the  degraded 
condition  of  the  Namacquas  when  the  Gospel 


136  MEMOIR    OF    TUE 

was  first  sent  to  them,  must  be  viewed  as  most 
encouraging.  Two  sub-stations  had  also  been 
formed,  called  respectively  Blyderverwacht  and 
Jerusalem ;  the  former  of  which  was  under  the 
care  of  David  Africaaner,  a  son  of  the  once 
notorious  heathen  Chieftain,  Titus  Africaaner, 
whose  name  was  a  terror  through  the  land. 
"We  must  make  room  for  the  account  of  Mr. 
Hodgson's  visit,  which  he  paid  in  company 
with  Mr.  Cook. 

''On  the  road,"  he  observes,  "I  examined 
one  of  the  community -hir d' s  nests,  consisting 
of  a  number  of  nests  united  into  one,  each  nest 
being  separate  as  to  its  entrance,  and  distinct 
as  to  its  occupation,  yet  all  under  one  roof,  so 
formed  as  to  throw  off  the  rain  like  an  um- 
brella. The  bii'ds  congregate  in  this  way  in 
great  numbers,  so  as  nearly  to  cover  the  higher 
branches  of  a  large  tree.  They  enter  these 
habitations  from  beneath.  ^'  *  ^'  On  reaching 
the  village,  we  were  welcomed  with  exjn^essions 
of  the  utmost  delight.  The  wiinkled  by  age, 
and  the  youngest  child  that  could  walk,  ap- 
peared to  feel  it  a  duty  to  shake  hands  with 
us ;  and  such  was  the  pressure  fi'om  without, 
that  I  was  obliged  to  pass  through  the  cere- 
mony with  expedition,  to  shake  hands  right 
and  left,  using  both  hands  at  the  same  time. 
In  the  evening  I  had  much  satisfaction  in 
holding  a  religious  service  with  at  least  thi^ee 
hundred  persons,  called  together  by  the  sound 
of  a  koedoe's  horn  (a  large  antelope).  Their 
attention    to    the    truth   addressed  to   them, 


EEV.  T.  L.  nODOSON.  137 

through  David,  as  interpreter,  was  most  pleas- 
ing. I  sat  under  the  shade  of  a  large  camel- 
thorn  tree,  and  conducted  the  service  by  the 
light  of  the  moon.  David  Africaaner  is  one  of 
the  seven  sons  of  the  notorious  robber,  Titus 
Africaaner,  whose  original  residence  was  Jeru- 
salem and  Blyderverwacht.  Here  he  heard 
the  Gospel  from  the  late  Missionary,  Albrecht, 
of  the  London  Missionary  Societj^,  and  left 
Jerusalem  some  years  ago,  with  the  other 
branches  of  his  family,  for  the  Damara  country ; 
where,  though  in  a  backsliding  state,  his  con- 
science would  not  allow  him  to  follow  the 
course  of  life  his  brothers  were  pursuing,  in 
robbing  the  Damaras  of  their  cattle,  and  hence 
he  resolved  to  return  to  Jerusalem.  He  is  now 
employed  as  interpreter,  exhorter,  and  Scrip- 
titre-reader ;  and  is  made  a  great  blessing  to 
the  people  amongst  whom  he  resides.  He  lives 
in  the  possession  of  Christian  experience, 
having  been  restored  to  the  enjoyment  of  the 
Divine  favour ;  and  in  his  labours  we  have  a 
striking  instance  of  what  may  be  effected  by 
native  agency  judiciously  directed." 

Here  (at  Blyderverwacht)  Mr.  Hodgson  also 
met  with  Titus  Afi'icaaner,  who  in  1824  had 
given  him  much  anxiety  when  travelling 
through  the  coimtry  of  the  Bushmen.  Titus 
was  at  that  time  a  great  marauder,  and  by  his 
robberies  of  the  native  tribes,  was  spreading 
amongst  them  the  greatest  consternation.  But 
the  lion  had  become  a  lamb,  and  Mr.  Hodgson 
now  found  him  a  penitent  believer  in  the  Lord 


138  MEMOIll   OF    THE 

Jesus  Christ.  In  the  Missionary  Report  for 
the  year  1839,  Mr.  Cook  thus  speaks  of  him: — 
*^  At  the  name  of  Jesus,  his  contiite  heart  is  at 
once  overwhelmed,  and  his  subdued  cries  and 
lamentations,  at  the  thought  of  having  grown 
old  in  sin,  are  deeply  affecting.  He  had  been 
addicted  to  diinking  the  intoxicating  liquor 
made  by  the  natives  from  honey ;  but  upon  his 
conversion  he  destroyed  the  vessel  it  was  made 
in.  He  had  also  been  accustomed  to  smoke 
hemp,  and  had  some  fine  healthy  plants  in  his 
garden ;  but  these  he  also  destroyed,  and  thi'ew 
away  some  seed  which  he  had  laid  up  for 
future  use."  ''  He  is  now,"  says  Mr.  Hodgson, 
*'  sitting,  in  his  right  mind,  at  the  feet  of  Jesus, 
enjoying  peace  with  God  and  man,  and  is 
evidently  the  retired,  humble,  unassuming  Chris- 
tian."   "What  a  trophy  of  the  power  of  grace  ! 

A  Branch  Missionaiy  Society  was  formed  at 
Blyderverwacht  during  Mr.  Hodgson's  visit, 
towards  which  the  people  promised  eight 
sheep.  One  of  the  strongest  proofs  which 
persons  converted  from  Heathenism  can  give 
of  the  reality  of  the  change,  is  liberality  to  the 
cause  of  Christ ;  and  hence  the  Christian  Mis- 
sionary does  right  in  asking  theii'  assistance, 
even  were  it  not  absolutely  needed,  and,  in 
training  them  to  acts  of  this  kind,  confers  on 
them  no  small  benefit. 

At  Jerusalem,  ten  miles  fru'ther,  Mr.  Hodg- 
son found  the  remains  of  a  dwelling-house, 
built  by  Mr.  Albrecht  and  Mr.  Moffat,  and 
the  foundations  of  a  church  laid  by  the  former, 


TIEV.  T.   L.  nODGSON".  139 

which,  owing  to  his  removal,  was  never 
finished.  Here  were  several  families,  to  whom 
the  Missionaries  preached.  They  then  re- 
turned to  Nisbett-Bath.  The  day  follomng 
a  Missionary  Meeting  was  held,  an  account  of 
which  Mr.  Hodgson  thus  furnishes  : — 

"  April  2d. — In  the  course  of  the  forenoon, 
several  persons  were  noticed  coming  to  the  vil- 
lage from  the  outposts,  to  attend  the  Missionary 
Meeting,  which  had  been  announced  the  pre- 
ceding Sabbath.  At  three  o'clock  the  bell  was 
rung;  and  the  people,  to  the  number  of  at 
least  two  hundred  and  fifty,  hastened  to  the 
chapel.  The  Meeting  was  opened  by  Mr.  Cook, 
with  singing  and  prayer.  He  then  addressed 
the  congregation  on  the  subject  of  Missions, 
and  was  followed  by  myself  and  Mr.  Tindall. 
The  state  of  the  heathen  world,  the  benefits 
arising  from  Missionary  effort,  the  desire  ex- 
perienced to  send  the  Gospel  to  the  Damaras 
and  the  Bushmen,  and  the  readiness  of  many 
young  men  in  England  to  embark  in  the 
arduous  toil,  were  severally  brought  before 
them.  A  subscription-list  was  then  opened, 
and  three  cows,  ten  oxen,  one  heifer,  three 
calves,  sixty  sheep,  and  seven  goats,  were 
given,  to  commence  the  Xisbett-Bath  "Wes- 
lej-an  Auxiliary  Missionary  Society.  After  the 
evening  ser\T.ce,  one  calf,  fifty-three  sheep,  and 
eighteen  goats,  additional,  were  given."  The 
value  of  these  cattle  amounted,  on  a  moderate 
calculation,  to  six  hundred  and  three  rix- 
doUars,  or  £67.  14-9.  6^. 


140  MEMOIR    OF    THE 

Let  the  reader  look  for  Nisbett-Batli  on  the 
map,  which  he  will  find  on  that  of  Mr.  Moffat, 
or  on  that  published  by  Mr.  Wyld;  and  let 
him  consider  the  darkness  of  the  suri'ounchng 
country,  and  tlie  moral  ^Tetchedness  of  its 
wandering  population ;  and  then  let  him  think 
of  the  power  of  Christianity,  by  which,  in  such 
a  wilderness,  so  beautiful  a  garden  has  been 
planted,  and  surely  he  will  be  disposed  to 
say,— 

"  Hark  !  the  wastes  have  found  a  voice  : 
Louely  deserts  now  rejoice, 
Gladsome  hallelujahs  sing, 
All  around  with  praises  ring. 
Lo  !  abundantly  they  bloom  ; 
Lebanon  is  hither  come ; 
Carniel's  stores  the  heavens  dispense, 
Sharon's  fertile  excellence." 

For  this  £67.  14.5,  6^.  was  but  an  outward 
indication  of  the  existence  of  something  far 
more  valuable.  It  was  a  jjroof,  and  a  very 
striking  one,  that  the  fallow  ground  of  heathen 
hearts  had  been  broken  uj),  and  that  the 
precious  seed  which  had  been  deposited  in 
those  hearts  was  beginning  already  to  bear 
fruit.  "  Upon  the  whole,"  says  Mr.  Hodgson, — 
and  who  can  wonder  at  his  saying  it? — ''I  con- 
sider this  an  era  in  the  history  of  the  Mission, 
and  one  of  the  most  glorious  days  that  Great 
IS'amacqualand  has  seen.  ^'  '^'  It  is  worthy 
of  remark,  that  when  Mr.  Cook  first  arrived  at 
this  Station  with  the  people  whom  he  brought 
fi'om  Khamies-Berg,  it  was  with  the  utmost 


REY.  T.   L.  irODOSON.  141 

difficulty  that  he  could  obtain  a  few  sheep, 
even  of  the  poorest  kind  ;  and  that  his  supplies, 
as  to  food,  were,  for  some  time  after,  di-awn 
from  the  Colony.  Eut  now  the  people,  by  the 
blessing  of  God  on  the  industrj-  and  economy 
enforced  upon  them,  have  not  only  cattle  to 
sell  for  clothes,  but  are  able,  at  the  first  Mis- 
sionary Meeting  ever  held  in  Great  Namacqua- 
land,  to  present  liberal  subscriptions  in  cattle, 
as  a  thank-offering  to  Heaven."  Yes ;  this  is 
what  the  Gospel  has  done,  and  is  still  doing, 
for  South  Africa, — training  its  degraded  tribes 
to  industiial  habits ;  awakening  in  their  breasts 
emotions  of  gratitude  and  thankfulness  ;  raising 
them  from  a  condition  of  almost  abject  destitu- 
tion; and,  above  all,  directing  them  to  the 
one  great  Source  of  happiness  and  peace,  God, 
reconciled  to  man  through  Christ. 

Mr.  Hodgson  spent  another  Sabbath  at  "  the 
Bath,"  where  he  preached  to  a  congregation  of 
upwards  of  three  hundred  persons.  Some  ad- 
ditional contributions  to  the  Missionary  Society 
were  offered;  and  one  old  man,  standing  by 
the  door  of  the  chapel,  said,  "  I  have  only  two 
old  ewes,  but  I  will  give  one  of  them ;"  and 
another  "  stood  up  boldly,  and  gave  in  his 
name,  wishing,  no  doubt,  to  have  it  enrolled 
with  so  noble  a  band ;"  but,  on  being  asked 
the  amount  of  his  contribution,  the  eyes  of  his 
friends  being  fixed  upon  him,  on  account  of 
his  poverty,  he  replied,  ''Alas  !  I  have  nothing 
to  give."  His  name  was,  of  course,  put  down 
on  the  list,  with  the  hope  that  some  one  would 


142  MEMOIR    OF    THE 

present  him  with  a  sheep  or  a  goat,  to  enable 
him  to  appear  as  a  contiibutor,  like  the  rest. 

On  the  following  clay  Mr.  Hodgson  took 
leave  of  jSTisbett-Bath,  with  feelings  of  pleasure 
at  what  he  had  witnessed ;  mingled,  however, 
with  regret  that  he  could  not  stay.  The  sjnnt 
which  had  animated  him  in  his  earlier  days 
had  been  revived ;  and  he  would  gladly  have 
returned  to  what  he  looked  upon  as  strictly 
Missionary  work, — preaching  Christ  to  the 
tribes  of  the  interior.  "  I  leave  the  Bath,"  he 
observes,  "  fully  impressed  with  its  importance 
as  a  Mission  Station,  It  presents  a  valuable 
field  for  extending  the  work  successfully,  hj 
means  of  a  native  agency,  which  is  already  in 
operation ;  and  it  is  pleasing  to  see  the  people 
so  much  disposed  to  receive  instruction  from 
pious  persons  of  their  o^vn  class  and  tribe. 
This  Station  is  of  importance,  too,  because  of 
its  being  connected  with  Abraham,  the  Chief 
of  the  '  Bundle  Zwaarts,'  the  richest  and  most 
powerful  of  the  Xamacqua  clans ;  giving  access 
to  at  least  two  thousand  persons  under  his 
immediate  authority;  preserving  peace  among 
the  more  distant  tribes  ;  and  exerting  a  moral 
influence,  even  to  the  borders  of  the  Damara 
country.  I  have  confidence  that  Mr.  Cook's 
expectations  will  be  realised  in  the  emplopnent 
of  an  extensive  native  agency,  and  that  the 
word  of  God  will  go  forth  from  '  Jenisalem,' 
the  residence  of  David  Africaaner,  to  enlighten 
the  whole  of  Great  Namaequaland.  Mr.  Cook 
rode  with  me  about  an  hour,  and  then  we  parted." 


EEV.  T.  L.   HODGSON.  143 

In  less  than  two  years  this  devoted  Mission- 
ary, Edward  Cook,  terminated  his  career,  at 
the  age  of  thirty-six.  His  health  having 
failed,  he  was  induced  to  set  out  on  a  journey 
to  Cape-Town ;  but  the  fatigue  of  travelling 
was  more  than  his  wasted  energies  could  bear, 
and  he  only  reached  the  banks  of  the  Great 
River  when  the  summons  came  which  called 
him  to  his  rest.  His  beloved  wife,  and  the 
Assistant-Missionary,  Mr.  Tindall,  were  with 
him ;  and  the  latter,  seeing  that  he  was  near 
his  end,  said  to  him,  "  Brother  Cook,  is  Christ 
precious  to  you?"  when,  lifting  his  eyes  to 
heaven,  he  replied,  "I  trust  I  have  a  good 
hope  through  Him."  Shortly  after  this,  whilst 
Mr.  Tindall  supported  his  head,  he  calmly 
]3assed  away.  His  remains  were  taken  back 
to  ^isbett-Bath,  and  there  interred. 


N  2 


144  MEMOIK   or   THE 


CHAPTEll  IX. 

Jflainarpalaiiii  aiiii  iCaiir-ttnuin. 

Havixg  parted  with  Mr.  Cook,  whom  he 
was  to  meet  no  more  on  this  side  heaven,  Mr. 
Hodgson  went  on  his  way,  reached  the  Orange 
E-iver,  and  was  carried  across  it  in  the  same 
manner  as  before. 

On  arriving  at  the  village,  where  he  had 
left  some  horses  in  charge,  he  found  that  they 
had  been  permitted  to  stray,  and  that  a  search 
for  them,  of  three  days,  had  proved  unsuccess- 
ful. This  was  very  mortifjing,  for  he  was 
anxious  to  proceed ;  but  he  induced  the  people 
to  lend  him  two  pack-oxen,  on  which,  the 
following  morning,  his  saddle-bags  were  placed, 
and,  with  the  horses  he  had  brought  from 
Msbett-Bath,  hejoiu-neyed  on.  In  three  days 
he  reached  Lily-Fountain,  where  he  was  glad 
enough  of  the  opportunity  of  taking  rest. 

Here  scenes  of  a  similar  nature  to  those 
which  took  place  at  Nisbett-Bath  occurred, 
which  ^^T.11  be  best  described  in  Mr.  Hodgson's 
own  language  : — 

'^  AjDril  1 1th. — The  usual  prayer-meetingwas 
held  in  the  morning;  and,  at  ten  o'clock,  I 
addressed  an  interesting  and  attentive  congre- 
gation. Mr.  Jackson  preached  in  the  afternoon 
to  three  hundred   persons,  who   heard    with 


EEV.  T.  L.  HODGSON.  145 

that  becoming  reverence  which  might  be  ex- 
pected from  a  peo2)lc  who  have  long  enjoyed, 
and  greatly  valued,  the  Gospel  of  Christ.  The 
evening  was  occupied  by  prayer-meetings  in 
different  parts  of  the  village,  in  the  jS^amacqua 
language,  conducted  by  the  native  Leaders. 

''  April  12tli. — This  being  the  day  for  hold- 
ing the  Missionary  Meeting,  a  prayer-meeting 
was  held  a  little  after  sunrise,  and  at  ten 
o'clock  I  preached  to  as  many  as  could  attend. 
In  the  afternoon,  the  bell  announced  the  hoiu' 
for  assembling  in  the  chapel,  and  the  Meeting 
was  opened  by  Mr.  Jackson  with  singing  and 
prayer.  He  then  inti'oduced  the  subject  to  the 
attention  of  the  audience  in  a  suitable  address ; 
and  I  followed  with  some  general  observations 
on  the  duty  of  sending  the  Gospel  to  the 
Heathen,  &c.,  &c.,  and  then  alluded  to  the 
astonishing  liberality  of  the  Bundle  Zwaarts, 
and  the  marked  interest  shown  by  the  people 
of  !Nisbett-Bath,  in  reference  to  Missions.  Five 
of  the  natives  then  sjDoke,  in  succession,  in  a 
manner  calculated  to  call  forth  the  best  feelings 
of  the  Christian's  heart.  The  Meeting  was 
truly  a  means  of  grace.  A  gracious  Di^dne 
influence  rested  upon  us ;  and,  from  the  spirit 
of  the  people,  and  the  interest  they  appeared 
to  take  in  the  proceedings,  I  am  satisfied  that 
their  liberal  contributions  were  given  from  a 
proper  principle  of  love  to  God.  At  the  close 
of  the  Meeting,  Mr.  Jackson  received  the 
voluntary  conti'ibutions  of  the  people  for  the 
year.  The  following  is  the  result : — 
N  3 


146 


MEMOIR    OF 

THE 

£.   s. 

d. 

In  cash 

, 

12    6 

2 

Ten  goats,  and  five 

sheep, 

value 

1  10 

0 

A  draught  ox   . 

. 

^^ 

1  10 

0 

Two  bulls    . 

)> 

1  10 

0 

One  heifer 

, 

5» 

0  12 

0 

Corn    . 

.         , 

•      n 

0    4 

6 

Total 

£17  12 

8 

*^  During  tlie  arLUounccment  of  the  subscrip- 
tions, I  was  much  gratified  with  about  twenty 
children,  some  of  whose  parents  were  very- 
poor,  bringing  their  pennies  and  halfpennies, 
to  have  their  names  enrolled  on  the  list;  and 
the  cheerfulness  which  was  depicted  on  their 
swarthy  countenances,  conveyed  to  my  mind  the 
impression  that  they  felt  themselves  honoured 
in  being  permitted  to  cast  their  mite  into  the 
treasury  of  the  Lord." 

Such  services  as  these  may,  to  some  minds, 
appear  comparatively  ti'ifling ;  but  on  the 
hearts  of  a  people  just  emerging  out  of  Hea- 
thenism, they  exert  a  powerful  influence. 
They  have  been  introduced  on  all  our  Mission- 
stations  in  South  Africa,  and  it  has  been  found 
that  their  tendency  is  to  enkindle  in  the 
breast  a  class  of  emotions  of  the  noblest  kind ; 
emotions  to  which  the  Kaffii',  the  Bcchuana, 
and  the  jS'amacqua  were  previously  strangers. 
Human  nature  is  essentially  the  same  through- 
out the  world.  One  of  its  worst  propensities 
is  selfishness.  The  Christian  Missionary  should 
labour,  therefore,  to  inculcate  liberality;  and. 


REV.  T.  L.  HODGSON.  147 

even  when  the  people  are  poor,  to  encourage 
them  to  do  something  towards  alleviating  the 
necessities  of  their  fellow-men.  If  he  succeeds 
in  doing  this,  he  accomplishes  a  great  triumph, 
for  he  breaks  in  upon  one  of  the  strongest 
fortresses  of  Heathenism,  a  characteristic  of 
which,  everywhere,  is,  to  be  indifferent  to  the 
wants  of  the  ignorant  and  distressed.  Let 
converts  to  Christianity  in  the  Mission-field  be 
taught  to  contribute  of  their  substance,  be  it 
in  monej^,  corn,  or  cattle,  towards  the  diffusion 
of  the  truth,  and  they  will  the  more  highly 
value  the  blessings  they  have  realised,  whilst 
they  will  also  learn  to  look  upon  the  tribes 
around  them  with  an  eye  of  tenderness  and 
compassion. 

The  attention  of  Mr.  Hodgson,  whilst  at 
Lily-Fountain,  was  dii'ectcd  to  certain  questions 
which  related  to  the  rights  of  the  Xamacquas 
against  the  claims  of  the  farmers  residing  in 
the  neighbourhood.  The  old  spirit  which  in- 
duced the  early  Dutch  settlers  to  encroach 
upon  the  property  of  the  native  tribes  is,  alas  ! 
not  yet  extinct ;  and  the  Christian  Missionary 
has,  not  unfrequentty,  to  lilt  up  his  voice 
against  the  acts  of  injustice  which  are  often 
perpetrated.  Sometimes  he  is  successful ;  but, 
at  other  times,  the  poor  native,  being  the 
weaker  party,  must  go  to  the  wall.  It  is 
greatly  to  be  feared,  that  if  the  Government  of 
this  coimtry  abandon  the  Orange-Eiver  sove- 
reignty, many  of  the  Bechuana  tribes  w^ill 
sutler  not  a  little  from  the  oppression  of  Boers 


148  HEMOIE    OF    THE 

iiihabiting  that  country.     May  Heaven  avert 
BO  terrible  a  calamity  ! 

On  bidding  farewell  to  Lily-Fountain,  Mr. 
Hodgson  makes  the  following  remarks  : — 

''April  1 5th. — Left  Lily-Fountain  this  morn- 
ing, and  parted  with  my  old  fiiends,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Jackson,  with  feelings  of  increased  at- 
tachment, and  much  impressed  in  their  favour 
as  to  their  suitability  for  the  work  to  which 
thej  are  called.  I  \T.sited  this  Station  in  the 
month  of  April,  1824,  just  seventeen  years 
ago,  during  which  interval  it  has  been  a  great 
blessing  to  the  many  hundred  persons  con- 
nected with  it  as  a  Missionary  institution. 
An  improvement  in  their  worldly  circum- 
stances, together  with  the  fact  that  many  have 
died  happy  in  God,  and  that  many  more  are 
walking  in  the  light  of  His  salvation,  present 
sufficient  proofs  to  satisfy  those  who  have  been 
stationed  here,  and  the  Christian  pubhc,  that 
they  have  not  laboui'ed  in  vain.  I  was  struck 
"with  the  civil  and  respectful  behaviour  of  the 
people  generally ;  their  reverent  deportment  in 
the  house  of  God,  and  their  apparently  con- 
tented and  grateful  spirit;  and  I  leave  the 
Station,  satisfied  that  it  deserves  to  be  viewed 
as  one  of  our  most  useful  and  successful  insti- 
tutions. Seven  hundred  persons  are  imder  the 
care  of  the  Missionaries.  The  new  Mission- 
house  is  a  most  comfortable  residence ;  the 
church,  spacious  and  well-built;  and  the 
out-buildings,  such  as  stable,  waggon-house, 
&c.,  &c.,  do  credit  to  the  industry  of  those 
who  erected  them." 


REV.  T.  L.  HODGSON.  149 

A  journey  of  three  days  brought  Mr.  Hodgsou 
to  '*  Ebenezer,"  (the  Ehenish  Mission  Insti- 
tution before-mentioned,)  "vi'here  he  preached 
to  thirty-five  jjersons.  The  next  day  he 
reached  the  residence  of  his  kind  friends,  the 
Van  Zyls,  where  he  lodged  for  a  night,  and 
the  day  following  bade  them  adieu,  with  much 
regret.  On  the  journey,  he  fell  in  with  a 
young  famier,  ''a  plain,  ignorant,  self-conceited 
man,"  who,  among  other  questions,  asked  him 
the  meaning  of  Gog  and  Magog,  mentioned  in 
the  E-evelation  of  St.  John ;  and, "  not  being 
satisfied  with  the  answer,  offered  an  opinion 
of  his  own,  which  was,  that  he  thought  it 
refeiTed  to  a  black  uninstructed  heathen  child 
being  angry  at  another  child,  and  crjdng  out, 
"Gog,"  whilst  the  other  rebuts  the  insult  by 
replying,  ''Magog,"  the  word  being  pro- 
nounced with  a  deep-toned  Dutch  guttural ! 
The  reader  will  be  disposed  to  smile  at  this 
novel  and  absurd  interpretation;  but  it  is  a 
specimen  of  the  mode  in  which  some  of  the 
Dutch  Boers  explain  the  Scriptui^es.  Having 
lived  for  several  generations  beyond  the  pale 
of  civilised  life,  and,  in  many  instances,  far 
from  the  reach  of  a  Chiistian  ministry,  they 
have  sunk  into  a  state  of  barbarism,  similar, 
in  many  respects,  to  that  of  the  native  tribes 
around  them. 

Mr.  Hodgson's  guide  being  taken  ill,  he 
was  obliged  to  send  him  back  to  Mr.  Yan  Zyl, 
and  to  proceed  on  the  journey  home,  a  distance 
of  a  hundred  and  fifty  miles. 


150  MEMOIE    OF   THE 

'^  April  22(1. — Rode  to  Mr.  Jan  Basson's,  a 
friendly,  open-hearted  farmer,  wliose  kindness 
I  remembered  to  have  experienced  seventeen 
years  ago.  Mrs.  Basson  was  dead,  and  he  him- 
self had  been  seriously  ill.  I  saw  him  much 
altered  in  appearance,  having  retained  a  dis- 
tinct impression  of  his  person  and  disposition. 
Passed  a  farm-house,  where  a  person,  appa- 
rently the  mistress,  was  standing  at  the  door. 
I  inquired  of  her  if  I  was  taking  the  right 
road  to  Cape-To^vn ;  to  which  question  she 
made  no  replj^,  but  rudely  asked,  ^Who  are 
you  ? '  I  repeated  the  inquiry,  and  she  hastily 
answered,  '  Yes ;'  but  added,  most  rudely, 
*Who  are  you?'  The  inquisitiveness  of  the 
people  of  this  country  as  to  name,  occupation, 
age,  and  family,  is  exceedingly  annoying.  In 
the  evening  I  reached  the  house  of  a  farmer, 
son-in-law  to  Mr.  Marrais,  upon  whom  I  called 
on  the  4th  ultimo,  and  by  whom  I  was  received 
with  the  greatest  kindness.  Mrs.  Basson  was 
brought  up  by  her  pious  grandmother,  whose 
instructions  she  now  felt  the  benefit  of,  and 
highly  valued,  not  only  retaining  in  her  mind 
the  religious  ti'uth  she  had  been  taught,  but 
also  the  interest  she  had  felt  in  Divine  things. 
She  read  a  chapter  in  Dutch ;  and,  after  the 
family  had  sung  a  hymn  in  the  usual  manner, 
invited  me  to  pray.  I  was  much  pleased  both 
with  her  conduct  and  conversation,  and  con- 
sider her  a  woman  fearing  God,  and  working 
righteousness. 

*^  April  23d. — Hose  between  four  and  five ; 


HEV.  T.   L.    IIODGSOX.  151 

aud,  having  engaged  in  praj^er  with  this  kind 
and  God-fearing  family,  I  set  forward  home. 
About  seven  o'clock,  passed  Mr.  Theron's, 
where  I  had  been  treated  A\'ith  so  much  kind- 
ness on  the  4th.  Called  upon  Mr.  M.  Smith, 
and  obtained  forage  for  my  horses ;  and,  about 
six  o'clock  in  the  evening,  passed  through 
IMalmesbuiy,  a  village  of  considerable  import- 
ance, and  rapidh'  increasing  in  size.  Here  a 
Missionary  ought  at  once  to  be  placed  by  our 
Society-.  AVishing  to  reach  home  as  early  as 
possible  to-morrow,  I  ventm^ed  to  travel  by 
starlight,  on  a  road  with  which  I  was  but  im- 
perfectly acquainted.  While  the  atmosphere 
remained  clear,  I  could  discern  Table-]\f  ountain, 
and  felt  satisfied  that  I  was  right ;  but  about 
ten  o'clock  I  became  doubtful,  and,  coming  to 
a  deserted  farm-house,  I  dismounted,  and  held 
the  bridles  of  the  horses  in  my  hands  till  break 
of  day,  when  I  was  glad  to  discover  that  I  was 
not  far  from  Mr.  Tennison's,  by  whom  I  had 
been  entertained  a  few  weeks  before. 

"  April  24th. — After  an  excellent  breakfast, 
I  set  forward,  and  reached  my  family,  whom 
I  found  in  good  health,  at  six  o'clock,  after  an 
absence  of  fifty-four  days.  During  this  time  I 
have  ridden  on  horseback  above  eleven  hundred 
miles,  travelled  a  hundred  and  fifty  miles  in 
a  waggon,  and  slept  on  the  ground  twenty- 
two  nights.  The  journej^  has  been  one  of 
fixtigue  and  sufi'ering ;  but  I  have  experienced 
great  mercies,  and  seen  so  distinctly  the  hand 
of  a  gracious  Providence,  as  to  possess  increas- 


152  MEMOIR    OF    THE 

iug  confidence  that  wherever  the  Lord  calls 
He  will  make  plain  our  path,  and  will  deliver, 
while  Ave  stand  still  to  see  His  salvation." 

Thus  terminated  a  "  \*isitation  tour,"  truly 
worth}'  of  such  a  designation,  and  one  which 
would  doubtless  contribute,  in  many  ways,  to 
promote  the  interests  of  the  Mission  in  Xa- 
macqualand,  and  the  spiritual  welfare  of 
thousands  of  its  inhabitants.  The  labour 
spent,  the  toil  endui'cd,  and  the  seed  scattered, 
on  such  a  journey  as  this,  would  not  be  thrown 
away.  The  fruit  might  not  immediately  ap- 
pear, but  *' after  many  days"  it  would  spring 
up,  and  ripen,  to  the  gloiy  and  the  praise  of 
God.  A  Cliristian  Missionary  must  "  sow 
beside  all  waters ;"  nor  must  he  be  in  haste  to 
gather  in  the  harvest.  And,  indeed,  as  one 
has  truly  said,  "  in  proportion  as  zeal  is  puri- 
fied from  the  alloy  of  self,  it  carries  on  the 
work  of  God,  in  the  consciousness  that  neither 
is  he  that  planteth  anything,  nor  he  that 
watereth  anything,  but  God  that  giveth  the 
increase ;  and  it  v,'i\l  leave  it  to  Him  when 
and  where  to  give  that  increase." 

Kiamies-Berg,  orLily-rountain,  andNisbett- 
Bath  are  still  in  a  flouiishing  condition.  Of  the 
former  the  resident  Missionary  but  recently 
observed, — ''I  have  been  greatly  encouraged 
by  the  general  progress  of  the  work  of  God. 
We  have  been  permitted  to  witness  the  con- 
version of  a  few  sinners,  and  two  old  back- 
sliders have  been  brought  again  into  the  fold 
of  the  Eedeemer.     To  His  name  be  all   the 


REV.  T.   L.   HODOSOX.  lo3 

glory  !"  "  The  day-school  has  given  me  much 
pleasure.  During  the  summer  season  the 
number  of  children  on  the  books  was  one 
hundred  and  sixty-six,  and  the  average  attend- 
ance about  one  hundred  and  fifty.  In  the 
winter  the  people  are  scattered;  but,  never- 
theless, seventy  children  have  attended,  whose 
improvement  in  learning,  and  in  their  moral 
conduct,  is  very  pleasing.  The  religious  in- 
struction given  in  the  school  has  been  a  blessing 
to  several.  Tavo  hundred  persons,  children 
and  adults,  also  attend  the  Sabbath-school, 
and  their  improvement  is  generally  satisfac- 
tory." 

But  of  the  latter  it  is  stated  that  it  has 
again  suffered  from  drought,  in  consequence 
of  which  the  people  have  been  scattered  over 
a  wide  tract  of  countiy  in  search  of  pasture  ; 
many  have  suffered  great  spiritual  injury,  and 
some  have  altogether  forsaken  the  right  way. 
The  abundant  rains,  wliich  have  more  recently 
fallen,  have,  however,  led  them  to  return  in 
great  numbers  to  the  Station ;  and  indications 
of  a  better  state  of  feeling  are  not  wanting. 
The  schools  have  not  suffered  to  the  same 
extent  vrith  the  Society;  for  some  of  the  chil- 
dren remained  on  the  Station,  to  enjoy  its 
privileges,  when  they  had  neither  bread,  milk, 
nor  flesh, — literally  nothing  to  subsist  on,  but 
gum  and  roots. 

AUusion  was  made  in  the  preceding  chapter 
to  a  contemplated  Mission  among  a  people 
called  the  Damaras.     These  people  occupy  the 

o 


154  MEMOTR    OF    THE 

territory  on  the  western  coast,  between  Great 
!N"amacqnalancl  and  Eenzncla.  They  consist 
of  two  distinct  tribes, — the  Hill  Damaras,  who 
speak  the  I^amacqna  language,  and  are  there- 
fore supposed  to  be  of  the  same  race  and  stock ; 
and  the  Plain  or  Cattle  Damaras,  whose  dialect 
belongs  to  the  Kaffir  and  Ecchuana  family  of 
languages,  and  who  are,  no  doubt,  ethnologi- 
cally  allied  to  those  nations.  Mr.  Hodgson 
felt  a  lively  interest  in  the  project  of  a  Mission 
to  these  tribes ;  and,  after  his  visit  to  ISTamac- 
qualand,  Mr.  Cook,  who  had  previously  been 
among  the  Damaras,  and  had  succeeded  in 
establishing  friendly  relationships  between 
them  and  the  ISTamacquas,  visited  them  again, 
and,  had  his  health  permitted,  would  have 
remained,  and  would  have  endeavoured  to  com- 
mence a  Station.  For  such  a  task,  however, 
he  felt  himself  physically  incompetent  j  but  he 
found  that  the  Chief,  Ameral,  was  exceediugly 
anxious  that  a  Missionary  should  be  sent  to 
him,  and  the  Eev.  E,.  Haddy,  after  labouiing 
in  South  Africa  for  twenty  years,  offered  to 
undertake  this  very  arduous  enterprise.  He 
went ;  and  the  Gospel  was  thus  introduced 
into  a  country  within  the  tropics :  but,  though 
a  noble-minded  lady  presented  to  the  Society 
the  sum  of  £700  towards  the  expenses  of  this 
Mission,  it  was  found,  in  the  course  of  a  few 
years,  that  the  cost  of  maintaining  it  was 
greater  than  the  Society  had  funds  to  meet, 
and  it  has  consequently  been  suspended, 
though,  we  ti'ust,  only  for  a  few  years.     But 


REV.  T.  L.  HODGSON.  155 

even  though  this  Mission  should  not  be  re- 
sumed, it  must  not  be  supposed  that  the  labour 
bcsto^Yed  upon  it  was  thrown  away.  We 
hold  that  even  a  temporary  Mission  to  such  a 
j3Cople  is  of  immense  advantage.  Seed  is  scat- 
tered which  can  never  perish.  Thoughts  are 
awakened  which  can  never  die.  Impressions 
are  made  which  will  never  be  erased.  The 
Damaras  now  know  what  the  Gospel  is.  They 
have  heard  of  Chi'ist.  They  have  beheld  the 
blood-stained  banner  of  the  Cross.  And  who 
can  tell,  but  that  from  among  themselves  evan- 
gelists may  arise,  to  proclaim  and  spread  the 
truth  ?  It  may  be  observed,  too,  that  the 
Rhenish  Missionary  Society  is  extending  its 
operations  among  the  Damaras ;  and  hence  the 
field  is  still  partly  under  Christian  cultivation, 
and  will  yet,  in  due  season,  bring  forth  fruit. 
But  how  true  it  is  ^vith  reference  to  Africa, 
as  well  as  to  many  other  portions  of  the  world, 
that  "  the  harvest  is  plenteous,  but  the  labourers 
are  few  !"  0  !  when  will  the  Christian  church 
have  the  means  of  sending  forth  an  adequate 
supply  of  men  to  put  in  the  sickle,  and  gather 
in  the  waving  corn  .^  Pray,  dear  reader,  that 
the  Lord  of  the  harvest  may  thrust  forth 
labourers  into  His  harvest. 

The  death  of  Mr.  Cook,  together  with  the 
failure  of  the  health  of  other  Missionaries  in 
the  District,  rendered  the  position  of  the 
General  Superintendent  exceedingly  difficult ; 
and,  being  for  awhile  almost  left  alone  in 
Cape-Town,  his  labours  were  considerably  in- 

0  2 


156  MEMOIll    OF    THE 

creased  :  so  that,  had  not  help  speedily  arrived, 
he  would  probably  have  sunk  under  the  burden 
he  Avas  called  to  bear.  The  return  to  Africa, 
in  1843,  of  the  Ecv.  Barnabas  Shaw,  bringing 
with  him  two  other  brethren,  was  the  means 
of  relieving  Mr.  Hodgson's  mind ;  and  to  that 
A'onerable  man  he  would  gladly  have  resigned 
the  General  Superintendency,  had  he  been 
willing  to  accept  the  office.  Writing  home  to 
the  Committee  on  his  arrival  at  the  Cape,  Mr. 
Shaw  bore  testimony  to  Mr.  Hodgson's  efforts 
to  supply  the  lack  of  service  on  the  part  of 
his  sick  and  dying  brethren ;  and  observed, 
''Mr.  Hodgson  has  almost  killed  himself  with 
hard  labour.  I  wonder  he  has  held  out  so 
long." 

Among  other  projects  which  had  occupied 
his  attention,  was  that  of  the  erection  of  a 
chapel  at  Rondebosch,  a  village  between  Cape- 
Town  and  Wynberg.  An  eligible  piece  of 
ground  having  been  purchased,  the  chapel  was 
at  length  built;  and  was  opened,  at  Mr.  Hodg- 
son's request,  by  the  Rev.  B.  Shaw.  Several 
Ministers  of  other  denominations  also  preached 
in  connexion  with  the  dedicatory  services ; 
and  highly  gratifying  was  it  to  witness  the 
interest  excited  in  the  neighbourhood,  both 
among  the  Dutch  and  the  English.  The 
chapel,  which  is  an  exceedingly  neat  little 
building,  stands  at  the  foot  of  Table-Mountain, 
beautifully  embowered  with  trees;  and  on 
either  side  of  it  stands  a  neat  dwelling-house, 
one  of  which  is  the  residence  of  the  Minister. 


EEV.  T.   L.   nODGSOX.  157 

Mr.  Shaw,  in  alluding  to  tlie  event,  ob- 
serves:— 

''At  the  invitation  of  Mr.  Hodgson,  I  was 
at  Rondebosch,  to  be  present  at  the  opening  of 
the  new  chapel.  I  could  not  but  refer  to  the 
time  when,  more  than  twenty-nine  years  ago, 
I  preached  in  Cape-Town,  in  a  chaff-house,  or 
forage-loft,  above  the  horses,  by  the  heels  of 
which  we  had  to  pass,  to  reach  a  ladder  which 
led  to  this  sanctuary.  *  *•'  Our  commence- 
ment at  Rondebosch  was  in  and  near  the 
prison:  now  Mr.  Hodgson  has  succeeded  in 
raising  a  suitable  chapel,  where  both  whites 
and  people  of  colour  blend  together  to  Avorship 
Him  who  is  Lord  of  all." 

Though  Mr.  Hodgson  was  never  ashamed  of 
his  principles  as  a  AYesleyan  Methodist,  he 
possessed  an  eminently  catholic  spirit,  and  was 
ever  ready  to  unite  with  Ministers  and  mem- 
bers of  other  churches  in  promoting  the  exten- 
sion of  the  kingdom  of  Christ.  His  o-^ti  pulpits 
were  often  filled,  on  special  occasions,  by  the 
Pastors  of  the  Dutch  and  other  chui'ches  in 
Cape-To"wn ;  and  a  proposal  being  made  to 
form  amongst  the  Ministers  of  the  town  a  kind 
of  ''  Evangelical  Alliance,"  he  readily  entered 
into  the  plan.  To  promote  this  object,  it  was 
agreed  among  the  Ministers  who  accorded  with 
it,  that  they  would  breakfast  together  once  a 
month  at  each  other's  houses,  in  rotation, 
spending  an  hour  previously  in  prayer  and 
supplication  for  the  Divine  blessing  on  their 
various  labours.  The  wi'itcr  was  present  at 
o3 


158  MEMOIR   OF    THE 

one  of  these  social  meetings,  held,  on  that 
occasion,  at  the  liouse  of  Mr.  Hodgson;  and 
the  hallowed  feeling  that  seemed  to  pervade 
the  minds  of  all  the  Ministers  who  were  there, 
both  whilst  prayer  was  offered  up,  and  in  the 
conversation  that  afterwards  ensued,  was  most 
refreshing.     It  was,  indeed, 

"  The  feast  of  reason  and  the  flow  of  soul," 

To  another  of  these  occasions  the  Rev.  B. 
Ridsdale  thus  refers,  when  writing  to  the  Com- 
mittee, in  March,  1849  : — "Towards  the  end 
of  last  month,  the  Rev.  J.  Freeman,  one  of  the 
Secretaries  of  the  London  Missionarj^  Society, 
arrived  in  the  'Lady  Flora.'  At  our  next 
Ministers'  breakfast-meeting,  which  was  held 
at  Mr.  Hodgson's  house,  he,  together  with 
nine  other  Ministers  of  various  denominations, 
attended ;  and,  on  the  following  Sunday, 
kindly  preached,  in  our  Burg-street  chapel, 
from  Rev.  xxii.  17."  Happy  will  it  be  for 
the  churches  of  Great  Britain  when  their 
Pastors  can  heartily  unite  in  promoting  one 
another's  spiritual  weal.  A  new  era  will  then 
dawn  upon  the  land,  and  the  churches  them- 
selves begin  to  lose  sight  of  their  petty  differ- 
ences, and  to  combine  their  efforts  against  the 
common  foe. 

Family  circumstances  in  England  rendered 
it  very  desirable  that  Mr.  Hodgson  should 
visit,  about  the  year  1847,  his  native  land; 
and  he  obtained  the  full  consent  of  the  Com- 


nEV.  T.  L.  IIODGSOX.  159 

mittcc  to  do  so.  But  attaclimcnt  to  the  work 
in  which  he  was  engaged,  and  the  supenor 
chdms  of  the  Mission  in  Cape-Town,  led  him 
to  defer  his  visit  until  some  more  convenient 
opportunity  should  present  itself.  ^'  I  leave 
the  subject,"  he  observes,  in  one  of  his  letters 
to  the  General  Secretaries,  "  satisfied  that  my 
way  is  not  quite  plain  to  rctm-n  at  present. 
Should  I  (at  length)  do  so,  it  will  be  duty,  and 
not  inclination,  that  leads  me  to  such  a  step ; 
as,  at  my  age,  I  have  no  time  to  spare  from 
the  work  to  which  the  Lord  has  called  me,  for 
the  mere  gratification  of  seeing  friends  and 
country." 

Such  sentiments  as  these  were  worthj-  of 
him.  He  was  a  Missionary  to  the  close  of  his 
career.  In  comparison  ^dth  his  task  as  an 
ambassador  of  Jesus  Christ,  all  other  things 
were  but  as  dross  and  dung.  His  great  object 
was  to  finish  the  work  which  his  Lord  had 
given  him  to  do. 

And  his  self-denying  labours  continued  to 
be  crowned  mth  considerable  success.  In  the 
year  1849,  a  remarkable  revival  broke  out  in 
Cape-Town,  many  being  awakened  to  a  sense 
of  sin,  and  a  considerable  nimiber  of  young 
persons,  especially,  brought  into  the  enjopnent 
of  Christian  liberty.  A  detailed  account  of 
this  revival,  fi'om  the  pen  of  the  Rev.  B.  Rids- 
dale,  ^villbe  found  in  the  "Missionary  Xotices," 
for  October,  1849,  from  which  I  make  the  fol- 
lowing extract : — 

''  It  is  scarcely  necessarj^  to  remark,  that  our 


160  MEMOIR   OF   THE 

esteemed  Chairman  and  Superintendent,  "Mr. 
Hodgson,  has  been  cheered  unspeakably  by 
*  the  times  of  refreshing'  which  I  have  briefly 
described.  He  has  himself  witnessed  many  a 
delightful  scene  during  their  continuance ;  and 
nothing  could  have  given  him  greater  satisfac- 
tion and  joy  than  to  see  the  work  of  the  Lord 
thus  prospering  in  a  town  in  which  he  has 
sj)ent  so  many  years  of  ministerial  toil,  and  in 
which  he  has  sowed  so  much  of  the  seed  of 
life." 

Yes ;  he  was  indeed  cheered,  as  every  faith- 
ful Minister,  on  witnessing  the  springing  up 
of  the  seed  he  has  scattered,  must  be ;  and 
writing  himself  to  the  Committee,  in  August, 
1849,  he  observes:  "  It  vrill  afford  you  plea- 
sure to  learn  that  perfect  peace  and  harmony 
continue  most  delightfully  to  prevail,  in  every 
branch  of  our  work  in  this  Circuit.  At  our 
last  Quarterly  Meeting  we  realised  a  small 
but  satisfactory  increase  in  the  financial  de- 
partment; and  we  have  now,  in  town,  three 
hundred  and  three  persons  meeting  in  class, 
being  an  increase  of  eighty  upon  the  corre- 
sponding quarter  (June)  of  last  year." 

It  was  not  for  nothing,  then,  that  Mr.  Hodg- 
son waived  his  intended  visit  to  England. 
Seldom  does  the  Christian  forego  any  personal 
gratification  for  the  sake  of  Christ  and  of  His 
church,  without  reaping  a  reward.  From 
some  other  source  enjoyment  sj)rings;  and 
what  he  loses  in  one  way,  is  more  than  made 
up  to  him  in  another. 


REV,    T.    L.    HODGSON.  161 


CHAPTER  X. 

Sllntss  ani  IDratl;. 

Affliction  tries  the  Christian's  character 
even  more  severely  than  do  the  most  arduous 
duties  of  active  life.  Yet,  when  sanctified,  it 
is  of  inestimable  value.  It  refines  and  purifies 
the  aftections  of  the  soul,  and  leads  it  to 
aspire  more  ardently  after  God  and  heaven. 
''In  sickness,"  says  Bishop  Jeremy  Taylor, 
''the  soul  begins  to  dress  herself  for  immor- 
tality. By  the  help  of  sickness  she  knocks  off 
the  fetters  of  pride  and  vainer  complacencies. 
Then  she  draws  the  curtain,  and  stops  the 
light  fi'om  coming  in,  and  takes  the  pictures 
down,  those  fantastic  images  of  self-love,  and 
gay  remembrances  of  vain  opinion  and  popular 
noises.  Then  the  spirit  stoops  with  the  so- 
bneties  of  humble  thoughts,  and  feels  cor- 
ruption chiding  the  forwardness  of  the  fancy, 
and  allaying  the  vapours  of  conceit  and  factious 
opinions.  For  humility  is  the  soul's  grave, 
into  which  she  enters,  not  to  die,  but  to 
meditate  and  inter  some  of  her  troublesome 
appendages."^' 

We  have  followed  the  subject  of  this  memoir 

*"  Holy  Dying." 


162  MEMOIll   0¥    THE 

through  various  scenes  of  toil  and  peril, — in 
the  >\'ildcrncss,  among  heathen  tribes,  and  in 
the  midst  of  refined  and  civilised  society ;  but 
Tve  have  now  to  follow  him  into  the  chamber 
of  affliction,  to  watch  him  when  laid  aside 
from  labour,  to  mark  how  he  enters  '^the 
swellings  of  Jordan,"  and  finally  to  witness 
his  triumph  over  death.  It  is  of  "  the  inner 
life"  of  the  Christian,  more  especially,  that 
this  chapter  treats,  and  of  that  inner  life 
diuiug  the  most  important  of  all  seasons,  when 
the  "outward  man"  was  failing,  and  about  to 
"perish." 

Disease  began  to  i^rey  upon  Mr.  Hodgson's 
frame  as  early  as  the  year  1844.  He  was 
jDroceeding,  on  one  occasion,  to  his  appointment 
at  Simon' s-Town,  and,  as  he  was  crossing  the 
sands  at  a  late  hour  of  the  night,  he  took  a 
severe  cold,  so  that  on  the  Sabbath  he  was 
scarcely  able  to  get  through  the  service. 
During  the  night  he  became  much  worse ;  but 
his  kind  friends,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  E-onquest,  at 
whose  house  he  lodged,  paid  him  every  atten- 
tion, obtained  medical  advice,  and  sent  for 
Mrs.  Hodgson,  with  whom  he  was  able,  in  a 
few  days,  to  return  to  Cape-Town.  Mr.  and 
JVIi's,  Ronquest  were  for  many  years  devoted 
friends  of  the  Wesleyan  Ministers ;  but  they 
both  joined  "  the  spirits  of  just  men  made 
perfect"  some  time  before  the  subject  of  this 
memoir. 

In  the  year  1847,  Mr.  Hodgson  had  another 
serious   attack  of  sickness,    when   James  M. 


HEV.    T.    L.    HODGSON".  163 

MajTiard,  Esq.,  kindly  offered  him  the  use  of 
one  of  liis  lioiises  at  Wjniberg,  hoping  thus  to 
contiibiite  to  his  restoration.  For  this  kind 
offer,  the  sufferer  was  truly  grateful,  though, 
as  he  found  the  sea-breezes  of  Cape-ToAvn 
beneficial,  he  declined  it.  He  had  contemplated 
a  second  visit  to  Namacqualand ;  but  this,  he 
now  found,  it  would  be  impossible  for  him  to 
undertake. 

From  this  attack  he  partially  recoYered ;  but 
early  in  1850  the  symptoms  re-appeared,  and 
in  a  much  more  alarming  foim.  Writing  to 
the  Committee,  April  19th,  he  observes  : — 
*'  Your  letter  of  December  20th  reached  me 
on  the  24th  ult.,  and  found  me  seriously  ill 
from  inflammation,  and  doubtful  as  to  my 
recovery.  Eemedial  means  were  blessed  of 
God  to  my  present  convalescence.  I  was 
never  so  reduced  before  in  South  Africa.  Even 
to  wi'ite  is  difficult,  and  preaching  is  quite  out 
of  the  question.  At  present  I  wish  to  declare 
oiu-  united  attachment  to  our  beloved  cause, 
and  confidence  in  those  who  preside  over  us  in 
the  Mission-field ;  our  condolence  with  the 
Committee,  and  high  esteem  for  our  beloved 
Secretaries.  We  all  "svish  Methodism  to  be  as 
it  is,  and  ever  has  heen,  subject  to  improvements 
consistent  with  the  grand  principles  on  which 
it  is  based ;  and  most  sti'ongly  reprobate  the 
agitation  produced  by  the  trium^-irate." 

This  impressive  testimony  in  favour'  of  Wes- 
leyan  Methodism,  and  against  the  proceedings 
of  a  party  who  have  made  themselves  suffi- 


164  MEMOIR    OF    THE 

ciently  notorious,  is  borne  in  one  of  the  last 
letters  that  Mr.  Hodgson  wrote  to  the  Com- 
mittee. He  saw  in  those  proceedings,  as  every 
imprejudiced  mind  must  see  in  them,  nothing 
but  evil,  and  he  did  not  hesitate  to  express  his 
views. 

JFor  some  time,  hopes  were  entertained  that 
he  would  again  recover ;  but  a  wise  Providence 
had  determined  otherwise.  In  defiance  of  the 
skill  of  his  medical  attendant.  Dr.  Abercrombie, 
whose  efforts  on  his  behalf  were  most  assiduous 
and  untiring,  the  disease  gained  ground.  Up  to 
this  period  he  had  continued  to  preach ;  but  he 
was  now  forbidden  to  do  so  any  more.  One  of  his 
last  pulpit-efforts  was  at  Wesley  chapel.  Burg- 
street,  when  he  took  for  his  text,  "Ee  ye  also 
ready;  for  in  such  an  hour  as  ye  tliink  not, 
the  Son  of  Man  comcth :"  and  ''never,"  says 
Miss  Hodgson,  "  will  his  friends  forget  the 
deep  feeling  he  then  evinced,  and  with  what 
earnestness  he  exhorted  all  classes  of  persons 
to  be  prepared  for  death."  The  following 
morning,  a  j^oung  man  called,  and  told  him 
that  he  had  been  deeply  impressed  under  the 
sermon,  and  had  resolved  to  save  his  soul. 
His  last  sermon  was  in  Dutch,  at  Sydney-street 
chapel;  but  he  was  then  so  feeble,  and  suffered 
so  much  pain,  that  it  was  with  great  difiiculty 
he  could  walk  home,  though  the  distance 
was  but  short. 

It  was  with  great  reluctance  that  he  gave 
up  the  hallowed  work  in  which  he  took  so 
much  delight ;  and,  even  after  he  was  unable 


KEV.  T.  L.  nODGSON.  165 

to  preach,  he  was  still  anxious  to  be  employed, 
in  some  way,  in  his  Master's  cause  ;  and,  for 
several  weeks,  he  met  a  class  in  his  own 
house,  consisting  of  coloured  persons  who  were 
candidates  for  baptism,  all  of  whom  were  ad- 
mitted into  the  church  by  that  solemn  rite, 
before  he  died. 

As  his  affliction  increased,  he  became  per- 
suaded that  it  would  terminate  in  death.  And 
now  the  enemy  of  his  soul  harassed  him 
severely,  and  he  was  strongly  tempted  to 
believe  that  his  religion  had  been  mere  h5q)o- 
ciisy.  But  the  foe  was  baffled,  and  he  would 
often  say,  ''I  know  that  I  am  Christ's!  I 
know  that  I  am  Christ's  !  but  I  want  to  love 
Him  more."  He  was  visited  on  one  occasion 
by  the  Rev.  R.  Griffiths,  from  India,  who 
afterwards  remarked,  ''  How  delightful  it  is  to 
see  Mr.  Hodgson  in  such  a  peaceful,  happy 
frame  !  He  seems  so  folly  to  acquiesce  in  the 
dispensations  of  Pro\'idence."  And  one  morn- 
ing, his  daughter,  having  entered  his  room, 
found  him  propped  up  with  pillows,  with  his 
Bible  on  his  knee,  which  he  was  perusing 
alone,  tears  of  joy  rolling  down  his  cheeks, 
and  his  soul  almost  overwhelmed  with  a  sense 
of  the  goodness  of  Almighty  God. 

About  the  middle  of  May,  his  colleague, 
Mr.  Bidsdale,  kindly  drove  him  out  in  a  gig : 
and  one  day  he  was  able  to  walk  as  far  as 
Sydney- street,  where  he  rested  for  a  while  at 
the  house  of  one  of  the  members;  and,  on 
several   persons    coming   in   to   see   him,    he 

p 


166  MEMOIR    OF   THE 

engaged  in  prayer.  On  returning  home,  he 
passed  the  chapel, — that  chapel  which  had 
been  raised  by  his  own  exertions,  and  in  which 
he  had  experienced  so  many  precious  seasons ; 
and,  the  door  being  open,  he  could  not  resist 
the  desire  of  going  in,  and  once  more  ascending 
the  pulpit.  On  reaching  home,  he  told  his 
family  that  he  thought,  if  he  could  not  stand 
and  preach,  he  might  have  a  seat  placed  in 
the  pulpit,  and  still  be  allowed,  whilst  sitting, 
to  engage  in  his  much-loved  work.  But  this, 
of  course,  was  impracticable,  as  it  was  manifest 
to  every  one  that  the  disease  was  still  making 
rapid  progress.  On  the  31st  of  May  he  sub- 
mitted to  undergo  a  painful  operation,  which 
his  medical  attendant  hoped  would  afford  him 
some  relief.  Under  the  suffering  it  occasioned 
he  was  resigned  and  patient ;  and,  on  its  being 
remarked  to  him  afterwards  by  one  of  his 
brethren,  ''At  such  times  we  feel  the  need 
and  the  comfort  of  Divine  grace,"  he  repHed, 
*'  Yes,  both  its  need  and  its  comfort ;"  and  he 
then  observed  that  he  had  for  some  time  past 
held  the  world  with  a  veiy  loose  grasp. 

On  the  1st  of  June  he  was  considerably 
worse,  and  said  to  his  daughter,  *'  0,  Isabella ! 
it  requires  some  fortitude  to  look  death  fully 
in  the  face."  And  on  the  recurrence  of  a 
violent  attack  of  pain,  he  said  he  could  roll  on 
the  floor  from  agony  ;  but  added,  ''  I  am  afraid 
I  murmur.  I  do  not  wish  to  murmur."  On 
the  following  day,  which  was  the  Sabbath,  he 
was  somewhat  relieved,  and  had  such  a  precious 


REV.  T.  L.  HODGSON".  167 

manifestation  of  his  Saviour's  presence  and 
love,  that  he  said  to  a  fiiend  afterwards,  ''  I 
felt  He  was  in  my  chamber,  and  so  sweetly 
and  sensibly  near,  that  I  could  have  sprung 
forward  to  embrace  Him."  The  same  day  he 
sent  a  message  to  Mr.  Eidsdale,  who  was 
preaching  at  Wesley  chapel,  desiring  him  to 
ask  the  prayers  of  the  congregation  on  his 
behalf.  It  was  probably  in  answer  to  theii' 
prayers  that  he  was  so  remarkably  comforted 
and  blessed. 

June  3d. — Mr.  Eidsdale  visited  him,  and 
was  struck  with  his  unusually  altered  appear- 
ance. But  he  entered  into  conversation,  and 
spoke  of  the  child-like  spiiit  with  which  the 
late  Dr.  Adam  Clarke  was  wont,  in  his  public 
prayer,  to  approach  the  throne  of  God.  '^  It 
was,"  said  he,  ''just  like  a  child  aj)proaching 
its  father." 

June  5  th. — In  the  night  he  was  very  rest- 
less; but  to  an  excellent  coloured  woman,  a 
member  of  the  Society,  who  was  waiting  on 
him,  he  said,  after  a  paroxysm  of  pain,  ''All  is 
well !  all  is  right  that  the  Lord  does  !  I  hope 
I  do  not  murmur  or  repine."  The  following 
night  was  also  one  of  suffering ;  but  he  said  to 
'Mrs.  Hodgson,  "  I  hope  I  am  Avilling  to  suffer. 
Pain  itself  is  not  sweet,  but  as  the  grace  of 
God  enables  us  to  bear  it.  It  is  that  which 
enables  us  to  submit  to  and  acquiesce  in  the 
will  of  God." 

On  Sunday,  June  the  16th,  he  was  able  to 
converse  but  little,  yet  what  he  did  say  was 
p  2 


168  MEMOIR  or  xnE 

expressive  of  his  firm  confidence  in  Christ. 
Towards  evening,  his  mind  was  in  a  very  calm 
and  happy  frame,  and  Mrs.  Hodgson  read  to  him 
a  portion  of  the  Eev.  R.  W.  Hamilton's  work  on 
the  "  Revealed  Doctrine  of  Rewards  and  Punish- 
ments." "When  the  subject  bore  on  the  eter- 
nal joys  of  the  saints  in  the  immediate  presence 
of  Christ,  his  countenance  beamed  with  delight, 
and  he  seemed  to  be  inspired  with  a  still  more 
glorious  hope  that,  unworthy  as  he  viewed 
himself,  he  should  see  his  Saviour's  face.  On 
the  following  day  Mrs.  Hodgson  said  to  him, 
"  My  dear  Laidman,  if  the  Lord  take  you,  what 
shall  I  and  Isabella  do?"  He  replied,  "God 
will  take  care  of  you  both :  you  need  not  fear. 
How  good  the  Lord  has  been  to  me !  I  was 
left  to  contend  with  difficulties,  yet  you  see  He 
has  never  left  me  ;  and  He  will  not  leave  me." 
'^  Go  on,"  said  he,  a  few  days  later,  to  his 
colleague,  Mr.  Godman,  "  preaching  God's 
truth.  If  ever  I  should  preach  again,  I  would 
be  plainer  than  I  have  ever  been.  Don't 
soften  any  of  the  truths  of  God.  By  being 
plain,  you  may  offend  some ;  but  go  on,  and 
God  will  bless  you."  And  to  Mrs.  Godman, 
who  visited  him  on  another  occasion :  ''  My 
earthly  tabernacle  is  being  taken  down;  pin 
after  pin  is  loosening."  But,  he  remarked,  in 
answer  to  the  observation,  "  You  have  a  build- 
ing of  God,  a  house  not  made  with  hands," 
^'  0  yes,  I  have  no  doubt  on  that  subject, 
though  it  is  a  solemn  thing  to  die."  He  then 
referred  to  the  early  part  of  his  life,  and  said, 


REV.  T.  L.  HODGSON.  169 

*'  How  often  have  I  hurried  over  my  dinner 
that  I  might  secure  a  little  time,  in  the  middle 
of  the  day,  for  prayer ;  then  hastened  to  my 
room,  when,  after  spending,  perhaps,  a  quarter 
of  an  hour  on  my  knees,  my  soul  has  been  so 
filled  with  the  love  of  God  that  I  have  bounded 
down-stairs  like  a  hart,  and  off  to  business ! 
I  have  often  left  my  house  on  a  very  incon- 
venient evening  in  the  week  to  go  to  chapel ; 
and  I  cannot  imderstand  how  it  is  that  so 
many  now  allow  trifles  to  keep  them  from  the 
house  of  God  on  a  week-night." 

Impressive  observations  these.  Here  was 
the  secret  of  Mr.  Hodgson's  piety.  It  was 
noiuishcd  by  habits  of  prayer  formed  in  early 
life.  Hence  it  was  not  a  sickly  plant,  that 
could  not  bear  the  storms  of  adversity  and 
temptation.  Rather,  was  it  like  the  sturdy 
oak,  the  roots  of  which  have  fii^m  hold  upon 
the  soil,  and  which,  therefore,  bids  defiance  to 
the  fiercest  blast. 

Mr.  Hodgson  continued  in  a  most  exalted 
frame  of  mind  for  several  days,  exhorting  and 
encouraging  all  who  ^dsited  him,  and  express- 
ing his  unshaken  confidence  in  the  goodness  of 
Almighty  God.  One  day  Mrs.  Ridsdale  and 
Mrs.  Godman  called  to  see  him  ;  and  of  this  ^dsit 
Mrs.  Godman  says,  "  We  found  our  venerated 
father  evidently  near  his  end ;  but  his  soul  was 
tranquil  and  happy,  fully  resting  on  the  promises 
of  God."  He  said  that  he  had  always  desired 
to  be  saved  fi'om  sudden  death;  ''For,"  he 
observed,  ''  I  like  to  do  the  thing  deliberately, 
p  3 


170  MEMOIR    OF    TnE 

and  to  Imow  the  ground  on  which  I  am  build- 
ing." To  another  fiiend  he  said,  ^'  I  want  to 
go  to  Jesus ;  but  I  want  some  to  go  with  me. 
I  have  a  hope.  Praise  Him ;  praise  Him ! 
Elesscd  Jesus!"  Mrs.  Hodgson  repeated  the 
line, — 

"  Thrice  blessed,  bliss-inspiring  hope ;" 

when  he  added,  with  considerable  energy, — 
"  It  lifts  the  fainting  spirit  up," 

and  then  exclaimed,  "  My  Jesus  is  there  :  let 
Him  come.  He  does  sustain  me !  There  is 
Jesus !" 

During  the  night  of  June  19  th,  his  sufferings 
were  extreme.  About  half-past  one  he  slept  a 
little,  but  soon  awoke.  His  colleague,  the 
Rev.  B.  Ridsdale,  Mrs.  Hodgson,  and  his 
daughter,  being  present,  he  said,  "  0,  how  I 
long  for  the  salvation  of  those  who  are  not 
saved !  There  is  room  in  heaven  for  all." 
Then,  breaking  out  in  earnest  prayer,  he  said, 
'^  I  want  the  fulness.  I  scarcely  dare  ask.  A 
promise  here,  a  promise  there :  when  they 
all  come  together,  they  are  too  great  for  me. 
O,  the  height  and  depth  of  the  love  of  God, 
which  passeth  knowledge  !"  To  Mrs.  Hodgson 
he  said,  "  I  will  praise  Him ;  but  I  cannot 
praise  Him  enough.  Precious  Jesus  !  He  will 
be  precious  to  you  and  to  Isabella."  And 
again  he  broke  out  in  prayer,  "  Lord,  save,  save 
souls!" 

"  The  death  of  the  saints,"  says  Hooker, 
"is  precious  in  God's  sight.  And  shall  it 
seem  superfluous  at  such  times  as  these  are,  to 


REV.  T.  L.  nODGSOX.  171 

hear  in  what  manner  they  have  ended  their 
lives  ?  The  Lord  Himself  hath  not  disdained 
so  exactly  to  register  in  the  book  of  life  in 
•what  sort  His  servants  have  closed  their  days 
on  earth,  that  He  descendeth  to  their  very 
meanest  action ;  what  meat  they  have  longed 
for  in  their  sickness ;  what  they  have  spoken 
nnto  tlieir  children,  kinsfolks,  and  friends; 
where  they  have  willed  their  dead  carcasses  to 
be  laid;  how  they  have  fi-amed  their  wills  and 
testaments,"  We  linger,  then,  in  the  chamber 
of  our  suffering  friend,  that  we  may  see  how 
mercifully  God  dealt  with  him  in  the  final 
conflict. 

But  now  we  approach  the  closing  scene. 
Early  in  the  morning  of  Friday,  June  21st, 
which  was  the  day  of  his  departure,  he  said, 
"  I  have  had  such  a  glorious  view  of  Mount 
Zion,  the  Jerusalem  above  !  But  0,  how  pure ! 
how  holy !  It  would  almost  make  one  tremble 
to  enter.  But  all  our  unfaithfulness,  all  our 
shortcomings  may  be  forgiven,  they  are  for- 
given, through  the  blood  of  Jesus.  I  see  the 
pearly  gates  :  they  are  open  for  me,  unworthy 
me  ;  and  I  shall  enter  in."  Sir  Harry  Smith 
was  reviewing  the  troops  on  the  Parade,  and 
Mr.  Hodgson  was  somewhat  disturbed  by  the 
noise  of  the  musketry;  but  after  it  had  ceased,  he 
remained  for  some  time  tranquil.  Mr.  Ridsdale 
remarking,  ^'"What  a  blessed  part  of  our 
Saviour's  intercessory  prayer  is  that,  '  Father, 
I  will  that  they  also  whom  Thou  hast  given 
Me,  be  with  Me  where  I  am,  that  they  may 
behold  Mj'  glory!'"  his  face  brightened,  and 


172  MEMOm    OF    THE 

he  replied  with  animation,  "  Yes,  I  have  been 
meditating  on  that  all  night  and  all  yesterday," 
quoting  at  the  same  time  the  words,  "  In  My 
Father's  house  are  many  mansions  :  if  it  were 
not  so,  I  would  have  told  you.  I  go  to  pi^e- 
pare  a  place  for  you."  At  this  moment  the 
Rev.  E.  Edwards  and  his  two  daughters  entered 
the  room ;  and  Mr.  Hodgson,  sitting  upright 
in  bed,  remarked,  ''Well,  brother  Edwards, 
you  see  I  live  yet,  and  I  am  happy  yet ;"  and 
then  he  addressed  the  daughters,  urging  on 
them  the  choice  of  true  religion,  and  quoting 
Prior's  well-known  lines  : — 

"  Sweet  peace  she  brings  wherever  she  arrives, 
She  builds  our  quiet,  as  she  forms  our  lives  ; 
Lays  the  rough  paths  of  peevish  nature  even, 
And  opens  in  each  breast  a  little  heaven." 

"The  whole  scene,"  it  is  observed  by  one 
who  was  present,  "  was  truly  beautiful  and 
impressive." 

A  few  hours  later,  Mr.  Eidsdale,  who  had 
left  him,  was  re-called,  and  at  once  perceived 
that  he  was  rapidly  approaching  the  eternal 
world.  His  mind  wandered  for  a  moment  or 
two,  but  soon  resumed  its  wonted  frame ;  and, 
as  his  fiiends  stood  around  his  bed,  he  ex- 
claimed with  rapture,  "  Victory  !  victory  ! 
victory !  victory  !  through  the  blood  of  the 
Lamb  !  the  blood  of  the  Lamb  !  the  blood  of 
the  Lamb!"  And  soon  after,  ''He  is  mine — 
mine — mine — for  ever,  for  ever,  for  ever."  In 
reply  to  a  kind  friend,  who  asked  if  he  could 
give  up  Mrs.  Hodgson  and  Isabella,  he  said, 


REV.    T.    L.    HODGSOX.  173 

*'  I  have  given  all  up.  I  do  give  all  up.  Let 
me  be  gone  :  I  long  to  be  gone."  After  a  few 
moments'  silence,  he  exclaimed,  with  a  weak 
but  clear  voice,  "  Victor}" !  victory !  victory ! 
victory!  victory!"  Mr.  Eidsdale  engaged  in 
prayer,  and  was  asking  for  a  mitigation  of  his 
sufferings,  when  he  stopped  him,  and  said, 
'^Brother  Ridsdale,  don't  put  anj-thing  into 
my  mind,  or  out  of  it.  I  have  no  will :  I  only 
wish  to  be  and  to  suffer  just  what  God  would 
have  me."  This  remark  was  probably  made 
in  reference  to  a  passage  which  had  been  read 
to  him  diu'ing  an  earlier  part  of  the  day, — 
*' And  they  gave  Him  to  di^ink  wine  mingled 
with  myrrh,  but  He  received  it  not."  Allu- 
sion had  been  made,  at  the  time  of  reading,  to 
the  custom  of  administering  a  stupefying  potion 
to  those  about  to  suffer;  and  Mr.  Hodgson's 
refusal  to  allow  his  friends  to  pray  for  the 
mitigation  of  his  sufferings,  probably  arose 
from  a  desire  to  imitate  his  Saviour  in  this 
respect  also,  and  to  endure  all  that  God  might 
please  to  inflict.  His  resignation  to  the  Divine 
will  seemed  perfect.  He  was  meek  and  passive 
as  a  lamb.  But  what  he  would  not  ask  for, 
was  bestowed.  The  violent  pain  left  him,  and 
did  not  return.  After  a  silence  of  a  few 
minutes,  he  began  to  repeat  the  names  of  some 
of  his  deceased  relatives;  and  then,  as  if  the 
intercourse  with  the  spiritual  world  had 
ah'eady  opened,  he  exclaimed,  somewhat  in- 
distinctly, ''Hosts,  hosts,  hosts  r^  These 
were  his  last  words.  He  afterwards  lay 
for  some  time   in   silence,    his   eyes   directed 


174  MEMOIR   OF    THE 

upwards;  when  at  length,  as  many  of  his 
fiiends  stood  watching  him,  the  summons 
came, — his  eyes  closed,  he  ceased  to  breathe, 
without  one  struggle  the  spirit  fled,  and  left 
its  tenement  of  clay,  a  temporary  prey  to 
death,  until,  when  the  archangel's  trumpet 
shall  sound,  "death"  shall  be  "  swallowed  up 
in  victory." 

Thus  lived  and  thus  died  Thomas  Laidman 
Hodgson.  He  honoured  God  by  the  consecra- 
tion of  his  life  to  the  great  and  glorious  enter- 
prise of  Missions ;  and  God  honoured  him,  by 
giving  him  to  see  considerable  fruit  of  his 
labour,  and  by  granting  him  a  peaceful  and 
triumphant  end.  To  speak  of  such  a  man's 
failings,  is  not  our  province;  and  though  he 
had  them,  yet  they  were  counterbalanced  by 
so  many  excellencies,  that  they  may  well  be 
buried  in  oblivion.  He  himself  was  conscious 
of  them,  and  often  moiu-ned  on  their  account ; 
but  he  was  ''  washed,  he  was  sanctified,  he 
was  justified,  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus, 
and  by  the  Sjniit  of  his  God."  He  was  in- 
debted, as  he  himself  was  ever  ready  to 
acknowledge,  for  all  he  had  to  grace.  He 
made  choice  of  religion  in  very  early  life ;  and, 
though  not  possessed  of  either  extraordinary 
talents  or  extensive  learning,  he  became  one  of 
the  most  eminent  and  successful  of  modern 
Missionaries. 

On  the  Sabbath  after  his  death  his  remains 
were  interred  in  the  English  burial-ground, 
Cape-Town.  A  vast  concoiu'se  of  spectators, 
composed  of  persons  from  Simon' s-Town,  Wyn- 


REV.  T.  L.  HODGSON.  175 

berg,  Dicp-River,  and  Rondcbosch,  together 
Trith  large  numbers  of  the  most  respectable 
inhabitants  of  Cape-Town,  was  gathered  to- 
gether on  the  occasion;  so  that  by  the  time 
the  procession  had  reached  the  burial-ground, 
it  was  computed  that  there  were  present  not 
less  than  six  thousand  people.  Such  a  funeral 
had  seldom,  or  never,  been  witnessed  in  Cape- 
Town.  Persons  of  all  ranks  were  there, — Dutch 
and  English,  white  and  coloured.  Six  or  seven 
Ministers  of  other  denominations,  besides  five 
of  his  own,  followed  in  the  train ;  and  thus  an 
almost  universal  desire  was  manifested  to  pay- 
respect  to  Mr.  Hodgson's  memory.  He  had 
lived  down  prejudice;  he  had  turned  enemies 
into  friends ;  and  now  nearly  the  whole  town 
acknowledged  that  it  had  lost  one  of  its  best 
and  noblest  citizens.  The  man  who,  a  few 
years  before,  had  been  hooted  in  the  streets, 
and  exposed  to  the  violence  of  a  senseless  mob, 
was  now  committed  to  the  grave  amidst  the 
tears  of  thousands. 

The  funeral- service  was  read  by  the  Rev. 
Messrs.  Shaw  and  Edwards ;  and  sermons  were 
subsequently  preached  in  all  the  chapels  of 
Cape-Town  and  the  neighbourhood.  A  neat 
tablet  to  his  memory,  bearing  an  appropriate 
inscription,  was  put  up  in  Burg-street  chapel  by 
the  members  of  the  church  and  congregation. 

Mr.  Hodgson  was  in  the  sixty-third  year  of 
his  age,  and  the  thirtj-fifth  of  his  ministry. 
By  far  the  greater  part  of  that  ministry  was 
spent,  as  the  preceding  narrative  shows,  in 
Southern  Africa;  and  the  fi'uits  of  it  were  both 


176  MEMOIR   OP   THE 

rich  and  ample.  He  lived  to  see  Christian' 
churches  planted  in  many  portions  of  that 
country,  which,  when  he  entered  on  his  labours, 
were  wholly  destitute  of  religious  culture  ;  and 
he  had  the  satisfaction  of  kno^ving  that,  as  the 
result  of  his  own  and  of  his  brethren's  efforts, 
accompanied  as  they  had  been  with  the  bless- 
ing of  Almighty  God,  the  moral  aspect  of 
South  Africa  had  undergone,  in  thirty  years, 
a  most  decided  change.  The  long  dark  night 
which  had  settled  on  the  land  had  been  suc- 
ceeded by  the  morning's  dawn;  and  the  ter- 
ritories of  Heathenism,  from  the  Damara 
country  to  Port-JS'atal,  had  been  ti^odden  by 
the  feet  of  the  messengers  of  peace. 

The  gradual  progress  of  the  Wesleyan  Mis- 
sions in  South  Africa,  is  exhibited  in  the  fol- 
lowing statement: — In  the  year  1829,  the 
number  of  Stations  in  the  Cape,  Albany,  and 
Bechuana  Districts  was  12 ;  of  Missionaries, 
13;  and  of  members,  434.  In  1839,  the 
number  of  Stations  was  22 ;  of  Missionaries, 
23;  and  of  church-members,  1,551.  And  in 
1849,  the  number  of  Stations  was  42 ;  of  Mis- 
sionaries, 38;  and  of  church-members,  4,233, 
Thus  in  the  first  ten  years  the  number  of 
Stations  and  of  Missionaries  was  nearly  doubled, 
and  that  of  members  nearly  trebled ;  whilst  in 
the  second  ten  years  the  number  of  members 
was  more  than  doubled,  and  the  number  of 
Missionaries  and  Stations  nearly  so.  In  the 
Cape  District  alone  there  were  more  members 
in  church-fellowship  with  us,  at  the  time  of 
Mr.  Hodgson's  death,  than,  in  1829,  we  uum- 


UEV.  T.  L.  HODGSON.  177 

bered  in  the  whole  of  Southern  Africa;  and 
during  the  fifteen  years  in  which  he  had 
charge  of  the  Missions  in  that  District,  the 
number  of  members  increased  sixfold. 

And  then,  within  the  last  thirty  years,  con- 
siderable portions  of  the  sacred  Scriptures  have 
been  translated  into  the  Bechuana  and  Kaffir 
languages,  printed  and  circulated  to  a  very 
large  extent.  In  the  Dutch  language,  too, 
hymn-books,  tracts,  and  sermons,  including 
several  of  Mr.  Wesley's,  have  been  prepared 
and  pubUshed ;  and  thus,  among  all  the  native 
tribes  of  Southern  Afiica,  the  means  now  exist 
of  becoming,  to  some  extent,  at  least,  acquainted 
with  the  truths  of  Christianity.  What  en- 
couragement do  these  facts  present  to  the 
Christian  Missionary  who  is  entering  on  some 
comparatively  new  and  untried  field  of  toil ! 
Let  him  contemplate  them;  and  let  him  go 
forth  upon  his  errand  with  the  firm  conviction 
that,  though  he  may  labour  for  some  years 
before  any  fruit  appears, — nay,  may  even  fall 
ere  a  single  blade  springs  up, — yet,  never- 
theless, his  efforts  shall  not  be  unavailing,  but 
he  shall  ultimately  reap,  if  he  faint  not. 

The  first  Missionary  Meeting  held  in  Cape- 
Town  after  Mr.  Hodgson's  death  was  a  memor- 
able one.  Dr.  Abercrombie,  who  had  been 
his  medical  attendant,  occupied  the  chair ;  and, 
alluding  to  his  departure,  struck  a  chord 
which  vibrated  on  the  hearts  of  all  present. 
The  Hon.  E,.  Godlonton,  and  a  Missionary  of 
the  London  Society,  followed,  and  spoke  in  the 

Q 


178       MEMOIR  OF  THE  REV.  T.  L.  HODGSON. 

most  affectionate  terms  of  the  deceased.  All 
mourned  the  loss  of  so  excellent  a  man,  yet  all 
rejoiced  in  his  triumphant  end. 

''Elessed  are  the  dead  which  die  in  the 
Lord  from  henceforth :  Yea,  saith  the  Spirit, 
that  they  may  rest  from  their  labours;  and 
their  works  do  follow  them."  (Eev.  xiv.  13.) 
Yes,  ''from  henceforth,"  that  is,  even  now,  from 
this  present  time.  For  what  is  death  ?  the 
sleep  of  the  soul  ?  It  cannot  be.  The  saints 
who  are  ''absent  from  the  body"  are  "present 
with  the  Lord."  They  all  live  unto  God. 
They  have  entered  into  immediate  rest.  The 
doctrine  of  a  long  night,  during  which  the 
spirit  is  unconscious,  is  a  cheerless  one  indeed; 
but  derives  no  countenance  either  from  phi- 
losophy or  Scripture. 

^'  I  live,   move,   am  conscious :    what  shall  bar   my 

being  ? 
Where  is  the  rude  hand,    to   rend   this    tissue   of 

existence  ? 
Not  thine,  shadowy  Death !   what  art  thou  but  a 

phantom  ? 
Not  thine,  foul  Corruption!    Avhat  art  thou  but  a 

fear  ? 
For  death  is  merely  absent  life,  as  darkness  absent 

light; 
Not  even  a  suspension,  for  the  life  hath  sailed  away, 

steering  gladly  somewhere." 

Reader,  thou  art  immortal  !  Imitate  the 
EXAMPLE   of   Christ  and  of  His  followers, 

AND  thus  SHALT  THOU  SECURE  AN  IMMORTALITY 
OF    BLESSEDNESS. 


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Methodists,  against  his  Misrepresentations  and  Censures. 

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MEMOIRS   OF   THE   REV.  RICHARD  WATSON. 

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JOHN  GOODWIN'S   EXPOSITION   OF  THE    NINTH 
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EXPOSITORY   DISCOURSES    ON  VARIOUS   SCRIP- 
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BY  THE  REV.  RICHARD  TREFFRY,  JUN. 

AN    INQUIRY    INTO    THE    DOCTRINE    OF    THE 
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LETTERS   ON   THE   ATONEMENT. 

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LECTURES  ON    THE    EVIDENCES    OF 
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MEMOIRS   OF    MR.  JOHN  EDWARDS  TREZISE; 

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WORKS  PUBLISHED 


MISCELLANEOUS. 

DELINEATION  OF  ROMAN  CATHOLICISM, 

Drawn  from  the  authentic  and  acknowledged  Standards  of  the  Church 

of  Rome  :  in  which  her  peculiar  Doctrines,  Morals,  Government, 

and  Usages  are  stated,  treated  at  lar^e,  and  confuted. 

By  tlie  Rev.  Charles  Elliott,  D.D. 

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important  Additions. 

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SHORT  DISCOURSES,  PRACTICAL  AND 
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By  the  late  Rev.  Richard  Treffry. 

With  Biographical  Reminiscences  of  the  Author. 

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A  HELP  TO  EXTEMPORE  PRAYER. 

And  an  Aid  to  Private,  Domestic,  and  Public  Devotion. 
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PRACTICAL    CONSIDERATIONS    ON    THE 
CHRISTIAN    SABBATH. 

By  the  Rev.  Peter  M'Owan. 
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A  TREATISE   ON  JUSTIFICATION. 

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THE  SCRIPTURAL  DOCTRINE  OF  JUSTIFICATION 

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With  a  Preface  by  the  Rev.  Thomas  Jackson. 

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THE  DOCTRINE  OF   UNIVERSAL    RESTORATION 
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DIALOGUES  ON  SANCTIFICATION. 

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THE  CHRISTIAN  MIRACLES; 

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A  LIBRARY  OF  CHRISTIAN  BIOGRAPHY. 

Edited  by  the  Rev.  Thomas  Jacksok. 
Complete  in  12  Vols.  18mo.,  cambric.    Price  2.».  6d.  each. 
Vol.  I.  Dr.  Watts,  Mh.  T.  Haliburton. 

II.  Rev.  Peard  Dickinson,  Mr.  Johv  Jajteway. 

III.  Sir    Matthew    Hale,     Rev.     Joseph     Alleine,     Mr. 

Nathanael  Hettvood. 

IV.  Rev.  Samuel  Pearce,  Rev.  John  Shower,  Mrs.  Agnes 

Beaumont,  Rev.  Samuel  Newell. 
V.  Archbishop  Cranmer,  Bishop  Latimer. 
VI.  Colonel  Gardiner,  Monsieur  de  Rentt. 
VII.  Rev.  Freeborn  Garrettson. 

VIII.  Rev.  Freeborn  Garrettson  concluded,  Bishop  Bet)ell, 
Rev.  Anthony  William  Boehm. 
IX.  Dr.  Henrt  Hammond,  Earl  of  Rochester,  Dr.  Thomas 

Manton. 
X.  Monsieur     Claude,     Dr.     Robert     Sanderson,     Mrs. 

Elizabeth  Rowe,  Rev.  John  M'Laurin. 
XI.  Rev.  John  Howe,  Lady  Elizabeth  Hastings. 
XII.  Rev.  Vavasor   Pov,'ell,  Howell   Harris,    Esq.,  Arch- 
bishop Usher,  Dr.  Anthony  Horneck,  Bishop  Ken. 

LIVES    OF    EARLY    METHODIST    PREACHERS. 

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Edited  by  the    Rev.  Thomas    Jackson. 

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MEMOIRS    OF   THE   REV.  DAVID    STONER. 
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MEMOIRS  OF  W.  CARVOSSO. 

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MEMOIRS    OF    THE    REV.   ROWLAND    PECK, 

Late  Missionary  in  Sierra-Leone.     By  his  Father. 
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THE  LIFE  OF  LADY  MAXWELL. 
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MEMOIRS   OF   MISS    HANNAH    BALL; 

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MEMOIRS    OF    MRS.   MARY    COOPER. 

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4^ 


WORKS  PUBLISHED  BY  JOHN  MASON. 


A   BIBLICAL  AND  THEOLOGICAL  DICTIONARY: 

Illustrative  of  the  Old  and  New  Testaments. 

With  nearly  a  hundred  Wood-Engravings,  a  Map  of  the  Holy  Land, 

aad  a  Portrait  of  the  Author. 

By  the  Rev.  John  Farrar. 

Third  Edition,  in  One  thick  Volume,  Crown  Octavo,  Price  7^. 

AN  ECCLESIASTICAL  DICTIONARY: 

Explanatory  of  the  History,  Antiquities,  Heresies,  Sects,  and 

Religious  Denominations  of  the  Christian  Church. 

In  One  thick  Volume,  Crown  Octavo,  Price  6s. 

THE    PROPER    NAMES    OF    THE    BIBLE; 

Their  Orthography,  Pronunciation,  and  Signification. 

With  a  brief  Account  of  the  Principal  Persons,  and  a  Description 

of  the  Principal  Places. 

Sixth  Edition.    18mo.,  cambric.    Price  2s. 

MEMOIRS  OF  MRS.  ELIZABETH  MORTIMER. 

By  Mrs.  Aones  Bdlmer.    18mo.,  cambric.     Price  2s.  6d. 

THE  YOUNG  CHRISTIAN. 

By  Jacob  Abbott.    Revised  and  corrected  by  the  Rev.  D.  Walton. 
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YOUTHFUL  PIETY  ; 

Being  brief  Memorials  of  Children  of  Wesleyan  Ministers. 
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NARRATIVE  OF  O.  M.  SPENCER. 

Comprising  an  Account  of  his  Captivity  among  the  Mohawk  Indians 
in  North  America.     ISmo.,  cambric.     Price  2s. 

SCRIPTURE   HISTORIES: 

Containing  the  Histories  of  Abraham,  Isaac,  Jacob,  Joseph,  Moses,   j 
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Three  Vols.     ISmo.,  cambric.     Price  6s. 

HELEN  LESLIE;  OR,  TRUTH  AND  ERROR. 

By  Adeline.     ISmo.,  cambric.     Price  Is.  6rf. 


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